Krait book 14b New Headmaster of Hogwarts
by slytherinsal
Summary: David Fraser is excited and a little nervous over the idea of rising to the challenge of filling Dumbledore's shoes; he expects there to be plenty to challenge him. Problems from the ministry are de rigeur, as are enterprising ideas from film buff Marauders of all levels, and a Quidditch match against Durmstrang and the re-introduced sport of Quiddpolo are almost commonplace...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

David Fraser accompanied Albus Dumbledore.

"The first child we are to see is a boy called Sebastian Rice" he said "I have sent an owl already informing the child's parents that he is eligible for a place at Hogwarts school for witches and wizards; customarily I set a time in that initial letter at which I shall call and discuss the matter further. I give them two days to let this sink in and then arrive as scheduled. I usually call in the evenings to make sure of catching most parents home from work. It's nearly nine thirty; the time I suggested. I should like you to introduce the concept; I'll be your backup."

"Thank you Albus" said David "I feel like I'm about to take NEWTs all over again."

"And see how well you did with them, my boy!" said Albus.

The house was in a fairly mean street in York with terraced houses, the front doors opening directly onto the street. David knocked.

The door was opened by an attractive black woman in her early thirties who looked queryingly at them. David had compromised in his clothing, wearing a suit, with academic robes and a wizarding hat, that he doffed politely.

"Madam Rice?" he said.

"Miss" said Miss Rice giving him a funny look.

"My colleague, Professor Dumbledore sent a message by owl to apprise you of our visit" said David.

She stared.

"You – are you telling me this isn't a wind up of my son's? Even Sebastian couldn't talk adults into playing a practical joke…. Could he?" she seemed dumfounded.

"Might we come in?" asked David.

"Er… yes, please do…. I hope you don't mind coming into the kitchen, the front room has bits of half made fireworks spread around it…. Sebastian makes fireworks" she added defiantly.

David smiled.

"Well with a propensity for firework making and, you imply, practical jokes, he sounds much like two friends of my own schooldays, Fred and George Weasley; they run their own joke shop now."

Miss Rice sighed.

"THAT would be an ambition he'd go for…. Sebastian has manifested some strange, er, effects or I'd be phoning the funny farm over you right now."

"A young wizard – or witch – will manifest uncontrolled exhibitions of magic from somewhere around the age of seven, that need proper training and focussing" said David.

"COOL!" the little figure in blue striped pyjamas came into the kitchen "How do you do? Can I really be a wizard? What do wizards get to do and will I be able to get a job to support my mum?" he had brown skin, brown curly hair, big brown eyes and a wide grin with buck teeth in it.

"Sebastian, you don't need to worry about that!" protested his mother.

"Yes I do mums; after the way dad treated you, you need a man about the house" said Sebastian firmly, busily shaking hands with David and Albus.

"An excellent attitude, young man" said David gravely "There are many jobs in the wizarding world; all requiring different skills and talents, and dependant each on different qualifications such as you may attain at Hogwarts. We have two levels of exams approximately paralleling GCSE and 'A' levels. We call them OWLs – ordinary wizarding levels – and NEWTs – nasty, exhausting wizarding tests. Someone had a sense of humour" he added.

"Are they nasty and exhausting, sir?" asked Sebastian.

"They are stiff" said David.

"If I may interpose, here, to explain that Professor Fraser is probably the most academic Headmaster we have ever had at Hogwarts, having six NEWTs at grade 'O' – that's outstanding, the highest grade" said Albus.

"AM I. Albus?" David was taken aback.

"Oh yes my boy; I only have five and I was reckoned quite the most academic head ever" said Albus "I am retiring and I got to pick my successor. David Fraser is also the very first muggleborn headmaster – that is a child of two muggle, or non wizarding parents."

"So I'm muggleborn?" asked Sebastian.

"You are indeed lad" said David "And I shan't hide from you that the wizarding world has racism; not on colour but on the degree of wizarding blood in a family, or over the, er, sub species we come in; elves and goblins have been second class citizens for a long time. Things are changing but it will take a while."

"Might I have a demonstration of CONTROLLED magic?" asked Miss Rice, who had been making tea.

David smiled and flipped his wand towards the teapot, lifting it and pouring the tea into the mugs.

"Will that do?" he asked "The spell is _wingardium leviosa_ and performing it wordlessly and tipping to pour demonstrates the highest level of control over it." He did not mention that the higher level of control did nor require use of a wand – indeed he did not need a wand for such simple magic – because he knew that the use of a wand would be a better demonstration to a muggle. He had himself been much impressed by Severus' laconic wand work when he was first introduced to the Wizarding World.

"All right; I am impressed" said Miss Rice. "So do you do stuff with cauldrons and brooms and things too?"

"Our major sport is played on flying brooms" said David "And we do potioneering; the most subtle of the magical arts."

"Eye of newt and that sort of thing?"

"Loosely; certain parts of magical animals as well as minerals and parts of magical and mundane plants are used in potioneering. There is more to it than the mix however; the direction and number of stirs for example. Only a wizard may make a potion, even if a muggle followed directions exactly it would not work," David explained.

"So you kind of stir in your own magic as like an extra ingredient?" said Sebastian.

"Precisely" said David "You may make a good potioneer with that sort of insight; it is a catalyst. And the ingredients give opportunity for all sorts of creative detentions if anyone gets CAUGHT at their practical jokes; gutting horned toads, for example, a slimy, smelly, unpleasant and yet necessary job."

"I'd better not get caught then sir, had I?" grinned Sebastian.

"There is however a small snag" Miss Rice grimaced "Seb's father."

"In what respect?" asked David.

"Well, he's been financially generous" said Miss Rice "And we tacitly do not mention that it's hush money; he'd hate his wife and daughter to find out he had had a mistress and an illegitimate son. I'm a lab technician at the hospital where he's a consultant; and when I got pregnant I asked if we were going to get married. He had told me that he loved me after all" she added bitterly "And that was when I found out that he has a wife whose personal fortune means he doesn't want to jeopardise the marriage. I was convenient. And he has set aside monies for Sebastian to go to a private secondary school – and has been inundating me with prospectuses – but he'd never buy into the idea of a school for wizards. He'd have Sebastian taken away from me to be reared by strangers and have me shut away!"

"There is no chance he could be convinced?" said David.

"He throws a hissy fit if Sebastian even plays practical jokes on him; I can't see him taking magic!" said Miss Rice.

"I have to see him once a month so he coughs up my keep; and he's never taken me to a football match or a fairground or even to the Jorvik centre" said Sebastian "We go to stuffy old art galleries and museums and he lectures me all the way round then tests me on the way out. If we get anything to eat its salad and tofu and such muck; never an ice cream or anything kids eat!"

"He does sound a trifle inadequate as a parent" said David. "However, you need have no fears; we hide in obviousness, and Hogwarts School appears on the internet as a private school with entrance by invitation only, by examination, and with all the proper appurtenances of a normal school."

"I could have told you that, mums" said Sebastian "'Cos I ran it through Google; and I was kind of disappointed that it wasn't anything special apart from being posh."

"And so it will continue to be – on Google" said David. "The scepticism is one thing; the naked fear and the violence that often follows that is another. There are some half a million wizarding beings in Britain as a top estimate. We are not about to risk ourselves by being open, even if it were not forbidden by our laws – the statute of secrecy in 1692 – to speak of our world to muggles. Spells hide magical creatures and disguise magical beings from non wizards."

"Are goblins the little fellows with long noses and long hands and feet?" asked Sebastian.

"Yes; even so. Most muggles see them as slight, but faintly foreign."

"Like my friend Bailey Zelbukek" said Sebastian "Will he be coming too if he's part of the wizarding world?"

David cleared his throat.

"We are still in the throes of convincing people that goblins may be clever enough to be educated" he said "And to date only the brightest and best goblins have gone to Hogwarts. And though there ARE some discretionary scholarships, few goblins are in a position to pay as they have always had low paid jobs. If your friend is talented, then would be the time to see about a scholarship."

"I'll get him to skank out of the window!" said Sebastian and was out of the back door with a futile protest dying on his mother's lips.

oOoOo

The goblin boy swore pungently when he realised who his friend's visitors were.

"Language, laddie!" said David "Apologise to Miss Rice for speaking so in her house!"

The boy's ears drooped.

"Sorry" he muttered.

"What is your name? Bailey?"

"It's the human name I use at school; I'm Balduk gan Zelbukek, sir, and they think my dad's name is Polish" said Balduk.

"Why didn't you tell me?" demanded Sebastian.

"Talk SENSE Seb! Dad'd skelp me if I told a muggle anything, how was I to know you was a wizard, think on? You never said and you never said I looked different!"

"Well why would I? You're my friend; what you look like don't matter, do it?" said Sebastian.

Albus and David exchanged looks.

"He'll do!" they said in unison. David added "I need you to perform a few tests, Mr gan Zelbukek; and then if the results are auspicious, I shall speak to your father."

"I got a big brother and a little sister too" said Balduk.

"Oh, if you are accepted your little sister comes as of right; and I stretch more points than otherwise for older siblings" said David.

Balduk used David's wand with a virtuosity that made the new headmaster blink, enlarging a stone more than most first years could, changing a twig into a cocktail stick, and, when David got out his prototype mini-potioneering kit, the shrinking cauldron and mutable tool kit the boys ears went up.

"That's goblin magic that is" he said.

"These pieces were each developed by students at Hogwarts school as part of the recently introduced metalworking exams; and the boys who made them combined to develop and market the travelling potioneer's kit" said David "It goes on sale in a month; only I managed to acquire a pre-production kit to test promising pupils. Mortimer Bane is part goblin but Ming Chang is human; he developed the knife that morphs into scales and stirrer. Ming will be teaching the subject in another school; Mortimer is also teaching but in another subject" said David. "He is teaching the goblins and muggleborn of Germany; he's a brave young man with all those supremacists about. Now, if I pour a half way potion out of my wand, since no magical solution can be summoned by wand, pray stir it clockwise three times and anticlockwise once."

The brownish liquid turned a rich violet colour.

"If you have a bottle to decant this into, Miss Rice, you may as well use it" said David "It is Pepperup Potion; works on the common cold, half a cupful in hot water, utterly efficacious on muggles. The steam that issues from the ears afterwards is a perfectly normal effect."

"I still don't see Bailey as anything but an ordinary if rather short little boy" said Miss Rice.

"Well, perhaps that's just as well" said David. "You have talent and to spare lad" he added, for the boy's performance had been quite remarkable. "Nip back next door and warn your parents that we'll be over in a few minutes; and then perhaps both families might shop together in Diagon Alley for your kit. We'll be in touch, Miss Rice" and they left.

Zelbukek and his wife were overwhelmed to have such famous visitors as the great Professor Dumbledore and the great David Fraser taking an interest in their offspring. Rudatz, the older boy, was not so talented as his brother though he confessed to being fair at metalworking – he was working in the holidays with a muggle human who made replica Viking pieces to sell to tourists – and to having good mathematics grades at the comprehensive school where he got at least some education even if a lot of it was not relevant. David pointed out that more than one wizard starting late had done better at potions for having knowledge of muggle chemistry. At a whispered suggestion from Albus, David offered to let the boy start in the second year, not the fourth where his chronological age should put him.

"That gives you the chance to try all the taster classes before choosing electives" he said "Except Divination, which is only taught for the first term to see who has talent or wants a soft option. If you're good at metalwork, you'd have chosen that after the first term. If you want then to work harder and pull up a year or even two, the staff will do their best to help you; if you are happy to stay with the classmates you have, nobody will think the worse of you. We try to be as accommodating as possible."

"That year already has six goblins and a half goblin" said Albus dryly "Though having two sets of twins from well established goblin families does boost that a little! My son is in the same year; he and his friends will help you catch up" he added kindly.

Rudatz stammered thanks.

They left.

"Sometimes things happen that you never expect" said Albus to David "It was by such interference by other children that Gorbrin came to Hogwarts; and indeed how he became a Malfoy. And what an asset to the school HE is! I shall be sorry in a way to miss his last year; but I shall keep an eye on the boy if you don't mind."

"Albus, I'd be delighted" said David. "Besides, then you're close by to run to when I find myself in a funk."

Albus laughed.

"Somehow the idea of you in a funk is one I find hard to believe!" he said.

oOoOo

The second child, Coral Sneden, lived in a large detached house; and her mother was a total muggle, but trusted her husband well enough to believe him when he admitted to seeing fairies.

It turned out that Mr Sneden had been approached to go to Hogwarts in his time; or rather his parents had received an owl, and he had never heard any more about it. He was a dropout from school and very proud of his clever auctioneer wife and both were bemused but pleased for their daughter as it was what she wanted. Mrs Sneden asked David to make some demonstrable proofs that could NOT be faked by legerdemain; as she pointed out, she was used to fake antiques and con tricks. And once satisfied, apologised politely and asked if odd and inexplicable junk and paintings of people in odd clothing might be of any interest.

At her auction house, the box of junk contained a painting of a sulking Eutropius Gaunt – from a period before the madness settled in, and wearing the Peverell ring – and a selection of wizarding kit including some spell books and a perilometer, that attuned to a particular person by brief ritual showed the degree of danger they were in like a barometer. David recalled seeing one for each auror hung on the wall of Alastor Moody's office. Draco's and Harry's seemed to be set permanently on 'doing just fine' with occasional forays into 'concentrating hard'. Some of the others reached 'at some risk' a few had stood in 'in danger'; and David knew that if any moved into 'in deadly peril' Moody would pull all his other available aurors off their current assignments to hit the ground running.

He promised the petulant Eutropius Gaunt that a descendant of his should buy his picture and his other goods. Krait would have fun rifling through a mixed box of magical junk and was hard enough not to have to worry if any of them were a little bit cursed. Mrs Sneden was quite overcome to see a painting moving and talking – he had kept very still for muggles – and was glad when David hastily made some commission bids on Krait's behalf to hold in reserve. And he happily went many times over the estimated value; Krait would value an ancestor, even a petulant one, in thousands if need be.

Then he spoke to Coral herself – who was wearing fairies in her hair and admitted casually to having concentrated on making the clothes she dressed them in invisible to ordinary people like fairies were; which as her wand and potion tests were not spectacular at all was a bit of a shock. Still, magic was about belief in yourself; and if the child was good at disillusion magic – and, it turned out, confundment magic since she seemed to think it easy to convince people who had seen her spontaneous displays of magic that there was a rational explanation – then she would always have a job even if her other results were poor. She was a self possessed child whose main desire to go to Hogwarts was that she would not then be thought of as a weirdo if everyone else there was as well.

David thought Mr Sneden should have a wand as well and promised him a crash course in the use of simple cleaning and self grooming spells; and Mrs Sneden said dryly that if he could clean the house in no time flat with spells it made sense for them to give notice to their rather lazy cleaning lady and for him to give up his job in pest control and take up woodwork more seriously than as a hobby as he had always wanted. Mr Sneden was rather keen; especially when David pointed out that a skilled woodworker was an asset in the wizarding world, especially when he learned to enchant items such as, for example, preserving cupboards and spectacle cases that shouted where they were on command.

Robert Sneden went on the internet straight away to order a garden shed.

oOoOo

While David Fraser and Albus Dumbledore interviewed prospective new muggleborns, Jingjie Chang had convened an emergency marauder meeting in Malfoy Manor's stables because they all knew how to find it, having invited the Pepperingye Marauders and, on due consideration, both Stripy Marauders and Weird Marauders. It was a bit of a squeeze.

"Look here" said Jingjie "I've been thinking."

"Do we get flags out and cheer?" asked Nathan laconically. Jingjie poked him.

"I'm trying to be serious" he said "Because it's a serious business."

"Sorry" said Nathan "It's only that Ravenclaws and thinking aren't always that synonymous – OW!" as sundry Ravenclaw marauders loosed off a number of hexes.

When Nathan was restored to his normal colour, had put his ears back on and had removed the exploding pustules, Jingjie went on.

"Last year my cousin Yulan started at Rowan House. She's a squib. Now she's been awfully good about it and philosophical and all, but I was sort of thinking…. I mean she IS my cousin."

"You mean you'd like to blood her and have her re-hatted" said Lilith.

"Yes" said Jingjie. "If the Weird Marauders will take her under their wing?"

"If she's a Chang she's bound to be trouble; we can't really turn THAT down!" laughed Chrys.

"As if we didn't manage to be enough trouble already!" said Purnima "Well I say go for it; and hope she wants to maraud too because then we shall be nine which is arithmantically way better than eight."

"Any bad luck of that is offset by the fact you're also a part of us in large" said Wanda "The Arithmancy is sort of shared out; but I shan't say it won't improve your chances of doing stuff in your own group."

"It's a bit unprecedented to have such large numbers" said Lilith "But there's been rather a lot of very good people over the last few years. AND some possibles next year; though I wonder if Tarquin and Sevvy might not prefer to just support like Gorbrin and co do. And to be honest I can't be certain even Salazar would MARAUD as such." She considered "There'll be three starting blooded; Candace, Tarquin and Sevvy. Mum and dad wanted Tarquin and Ismenia to decide when they were older, originally, but they got brought in last year because they reckoned they were older and had decided; and I guess Naomi counts as part blooded too" she added. "And we might bring her in properly because of that; Niobe, Isambard, you need to sound her out. Are we getting your cousin alone at the weevil fest, Jingjie? Asking Lucius to invite her?"

Jingjie considered.

"Yes" he said "Because then it'll be too public for our elders to tick us off too much and then it'll be a fait accompli. I'll go and have a chat with her about it; because she might hate the idea."

Interfering in family matters could be a stressful business; and Sextus and Lilith were being particularly tender of each other's feelings having had a big argument over Lilith interfering – albeit constructively – in Sextus' family. Lilith had figured that perhaps Sextus' muggle father was a bit anti the wizarding world because he only knew one representative of it, to whit Madam Scarpin. Who was distinctly, in Lilith's terminology, dippy. This she explained to Mr Pencastle; and looking as she did a perfectly normal little girl in jeans and a t-shirt, albeit designer clothes since she had dressed up for the occasion in black jeans and a t-shirt from The Spiral featuring an axe-playing skeleton on a motorbike, he actually listened. The upshot of this was a visit from Sextus to his dad – which was what the quarrel started over, his taking exception to Lilith having stuck her retrousse little nose into his business – with Lilith along because when they made up Sextus wanted her along as moral support in case it all went wrong and got even worse than it was before. They took Ashley Pencastle down Diagon Alley and went back for tea to his junk shop, and Sextus and Lilith proceeded to engage in a chant to open up an area of wizarding space in a ritual well beyond what most NEWT students could manage having persuaded Mr Pencastle to sell things like old hand and treadle cranked sewing machines and typewriters to the wizarding world. They then proceeded to put him in touch with Lilith's cousin Albertine Gregg, who was a quarter goblin and ran a junk stall in Obscura Alley and the children plotted hopefully over getting Sextus a stepmum who would keep his dad firmly in contact with the wizarding world. And if it didn't happen there was nothing lost and still a bit of business put the ways of both family connections.

"You have to be tactful when interfering" therefore said Lilith to Jingjie, recalling how cross Sextus had been.

"What, you can even SPELL the word tactful?" grinned Jingjie.

This led to a brief scuffle out of which both youngsters came relatively unharmed since Jingjie was one of the few people well able to resist Lilith's jinxes; and neither had more than a few pustules to remove.

oOoOo

Yulan listened to her big cousin explaining about the pact to help Harry Potter and how it had side effects of bringing out the magic inherent in squibs. Her eyes grew very wide.

"Mum and dad and little Jun are awfully GOOD about me being a squib" she whispered "but OH! Jingjie, how I should like to be a proper witch!"

"That's settled then" said Jingjie. "I dunno that it's a good idea to tell your parents."

Yulan stuck her chin forward.

"I shan't have secrets from mummy and daddy" she said "They're special people. I think they'd be willing – if you'll come and help me explain."

Jingjie sighed inwardly; but Yulan took him firmly by the hand to drag him off to talk to his uncle and aunt. If only girls weren't QUITE so managing!

He started again by explaining about Harry; and about Odessa following that; and how blood magic added to everyone in insights and, when spread widely, constituted no risk; and how Sephara Yaxley, born a squib had been awakened to magic enough to take four NEWTs.

Uncle Shen and Aunt Lucy listened.

Shen turned to Yulan.

"Well, little Jade Orchid, do you want to do this? If you want to see if it works, I have no objection to your lending yourself to something sanctioned by the great Harry Potter; and presumably with the knowledge of Professor Dumbledore – so long as you are aware that it binds you in duty to fighters against evil; which seems to me to be the price you pay."

"It is" said Jingjie "Not all who are blood group are marauders – the active fighters – though I am one of them. And Professor Dumbledore joined us because he's retiring; to save his son Seth, so his blood and ours could give him life. Seth is in Yulan's year; they have a large bunch of marauders, so they can afford to have the more cautious members too."

"If I had the magic to do so I should be ungrateful not to do my bit" said Yulan "I can get some success with potions in Rowan, but Madam Fenwick despairs of my Arithmancy; I guess that wouldn't change though" she added.

"Arithmancy's important but not everyone can hack it that well" said Jingjie "If you can get some potion result I reckon you should end up quite good with our blood in you. Well, if you're all right with it, sir, ma'am, we'll do her at Lucius' kids' party."

"We'd do anything to see that our little girl could join in with everyone else" said Aunt Lucy "And there's enough been written now that we know it's not dark magic. And if Mei and Ming are also part of it as you say, well, I see no harm at all."

"Hallelujah and hurrah for rational sensible grown ups!" said Jingjie.

"Know, Jingjie, that we are always happy to help out if you DO get involved with dark wizards" said Shen "I never was invited into the Order of the Phoenix – I think Dumbledore has a few prejudices against Ravenclaws and with some of the loonies around that's hardly surprising – but we DID hide muggleborn when Voldemort took over the ministry."

"Well good on you, Uncle Shen, Aunt Lucy!" said Jingjie. His Uncle owned a shop selling pet food and accessories and his aunt worked part-time in the Office of Misinformation; she had doubtless been close enough to the muggle liaison office to get word of those about to be arrested, and Uncle Shen had a big delivery carriage drawn by a pair of hippogryffs that doubtless he used to rescue people. He had not realised they were such good staunch types; and vowed to introduce them firmly to such as Severus and Lucius!

oOoOo

The weddings were to be towards the middle of August rather than early on because both Finn and Tanjela were heavily pregnant and were hoping to have birthed and be slender again to be caddishly Malfoy and stylish at the Wizarding world; and besides there was nothing so miserable as having to be polite to people when feeling hot AND heavy. There was besides the World Cup; and Lucius had promised to take all the children old enough to understand to be there for David Fraser, it being the first World Cup he had ever refereed. David had laughed and said that at least worrying about the World Cup took his mind off worrying about being a new Headmaster; and at least worrying about being a new Headmaster took his mind off refereeing the World Cup. The Match was to be between Poland and Portugal; and the Portuguese team had been lucky to escape alive from rioting crowds in Brazil, since the Brazilian team had lost their seeker La Mariposa to marriage and showed themselves in a rather poor light as a team without her. The Brazilian people resented the loss and decided to blame the visitors. The scenes were so bad that the International Quidditch Association banned Brazil from the World Cup for the next three Cups. The result for goblins in Brazil was at least one of some hope; as the goblins of Brazil protested that they had not been involved – very much – in the riots, the Portuguese Ministry raised a number of metaphorical fingers to Brazil by offering Portuguese passports to Brazilian goblins, providing Portugal with an increased cheap labour force whilst yet giving the goblins involved far more freedoms than they had previously enjoyed, since Portugal and Spain were in the French sphere of influence and gave the right to bear wands to educated goblins. True, schools taking goblins were few and far between, but things were improving and goblins were too given more respect in Western Europe then in Spanish America. And, truth to tell, in North America at that; though the Ministry of Magic in the United States was coming into line with England, since it was insupportable that the old country should possibly be seen to be more liberal than a country built on personal freedom, even so, the attitudes were still not good.

Finn produced her daughter just before Lucius was due to leave with sundry offspring in his executive helicopter – which resembled a luxury liner of the Art Deco period on the inside and was almost as spacious – and Lucius was delighted that she had managed such a neat piece of timing. The baby was pale blue, a shade between Finn's rich blue and the pale skin of the Malfoys, with bright blue eyes; and Lucius decreed that she should be Sapphira. Lala naturally was in charge of mother and baby as well as trying to keep Tanjela in order through the last stage of her pregnancy, which was, as Lucius said, so far as any of his wives were concerned, a triumph of hope over expectation.

Charlotte was staying with the girls and smaller babies; Narcissa was going to cuff, clean, patch up and generally supervise such older ones as were young enough to still require cuffing, cleaning, patching up and general supervision. This did not cover Bella, Gorbrin, Ian, Erica, Griselen and Genavka, or Zajala; but probably did cover Nathan, James, Gennar and all points younger, the named of whom should not have needed the above applications of discipline but apart, possibly, from James probably did. And, Narcissa said, she'd not even answer for Bella.

Bella, about to enter the lower sixth and an established prefect was affronted and said so. Her only foibles were, as she pointed out, a distinct partiality for tigers, well really a particular tiger, and as the Benares Bengals were not playing she was not likely to get in any respect carried away.

Lucius laughed, ruffled her hair – which to Narcissa's despair changed colour regularly along a somewhat tigery theme, and was this week black fading through red to orange with two white locks from the temples – and said that Assim might have something to say if she DID get carried away about any other tigers. He had accepted that Bella was in love and had been for some years; and that she would be moving away to India with her beloved once she left school to carry on the other self imposed task of Marauders to educate young witches and wizards there. Narcissa kept hoping that fascination with tigers in general and Assim Khan in particular was just a passing phase; but even she was beginning to bow to the inevitable.

Assim Khan was a nice enough fellow; and a clever man; and Narcissa was just going to have to get used to having him as a brother in law.

Lucius had laughed and said that he believed that Narcissa would not have turned a hair if Bella had picked a goblin to marry; and Narcissa said, no of course not; so long as he was a good British goblin. It was just, well, foreigners.

And Lucius pointed out that at least Indians played cricket, which was about as British as you could get and not to worry because Bella would thrive on the challenge of educating and civilising people in India.

Which as Bella was quite capable of making her mark in ways not necessarily desirable on the Society to Aid Marginalised Women when she left school if not found other occupation left Narcissa thoughtful and a stage further resigned to the idea.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

David bowed with the grace and accomplishment he had learned at Hogwarts with the studied intention of showing up Durmstrang students.

"Your Highnesses; I am delighted to make your acquaintance; and to renew old ones" he smiled at Prince Victor and his wife Princess Precious.

"Fraser, I wish you wouldn't be so formal" said Victor "Last time I knew you I was a grubby brat with skinned knees and as likely to be set an impot by you as anything else; and Pris hardly any older when you left."

"It IS a formal sort of occasion being presented to the rulers of a country" said David.

"We are delighted for our son to have friends he can feel comfortable with" said Princess Josefina, Prince Franz nodding agreement. "Though I have to say I do hope that there won't be such disgraceful scenes of mayhem and fouling there were last World Cup under your auspices this time."

"Oh David Fraser won't permit THAT!" laughed Victor "He was known as a prefect with the toughest and most innovative impots ever; small persons both adored him and went in terror of irritating him. And half the Polish team have seen him in action turning their captain and another captain into sheep because half the Polish team are from the Cracow Crows."

"I wanted to stop them coming to wandicuffs" said David mildly "It could have involved the whole team and then the crowd would have got involved."

"I thought jinxing the players was forbidden for referees?" asked Prince Franz.

"Jinxing, yes, Your Highness" said David "Transfigurations don't really count; it was also after the game and I never – which is what is specifically forbidden – raised wand to either player. I cast wandlessly."

"He's good that way" grinned Victor. "Did it to torque off Durmstrangers in the duelling competition. I SO am looking forward to catching up on news of everyone; and to hear what it feels like being picked to be Headmaster of Hogwarts!"

"And I want to drag Ellie off and show off babies and compare mumsy notes" said Pris. Small Prince Ferdinand Josef Victor had just a few weeks ago joined his sister Franziska Floriana Drusilla in the nursery to the general relief and pleasure of the populace. Belsornia did not operate under Sallic law – the populace had voted to repeal it for Victor's mother, Princess Josefina – but to have a male heir pleased the people and took the pressure off Franziska to marry for political reasons. A Prince was a little less constrained than a princess in such matter, Pris explained to Ellie as they went to the nursery with arms linked, because the people were a little old fashioned, bless them.

That the people were a little old fashioned enabled them to accept magic and the staging of the world cup here; last time, wizarding wireless stations had been set up, and Victor enthusiastically told David that every settlement of any size now had a wireless café where people could go to listen to wizarding wireless, with a number of booths permanently tuned in to the most popular stations; which tended to be the English news and entertainment channels and a German music station. And of course the quidditch. The Wireless cafés also sold Wizarding magazines and newspapers, and books about quidditch and quidditch players and even action figures.

"It's really taken off in a big way" said Victor "Largely because the populace is grateful that they now pay no taxes."

"How's that?" asked David.

"I persuaded mum to take a gamble and build a permanent quidditch arena on a grand scale with a whole sports village; hotels for visitors, broom hire, permanent shops, and permanent stalls inside and under the tiers for vendors to hire for each match. We're hosting at least one game per month now, because with the more muggle-populated regions it makes sense to play somewhere out of the way. And the revenue it brings in is sufficient to waive the taxes of the people of Belsornia who have been so understanding to the wizarding world."

"A good idea; I'm glad it's so successful" said David "I know that quidditch is big business; I didn't realise quite how big it can be."

"It's huge" said Victor "We have so many concession stands and shops and the income from the hotels is excellent; and plenty stay too for guided tours of the dragon reserve. We only show the flying horses to accredited scholars of course; but wildlife field trips are likely to take off in a big way too. Orlando Carcano is out in the mountains at the moment – he teaches at Durmstrang, you must have seen him on Wizarding Wireless Vision?"

"I know him personally" said David "A fine man and a great naturalist. One of his wives is related to Sev Snape. Well by in-lawness anyway" he amended.

"Ah, excellent! They're staying in a hotel because of babies; he hired a local guide. He thinks he's on the track of a hitherto unknown magical beast, or rather one believed extinct" said Victor. "He's already found a small herd of Peryton, the flying deer, you know."

"They've been hunted to extinction in Romania for the crime of being delicious" said David disapprovingly.

"Yes; but they're also very destructive. They're omnivores but not that careful about how they strip the land. We were thinking of semi-domesticating them and culling judiciously because it IS another thing to bring people to Belsornia with" said Victor. "And the ones with a high protein but vegetable diet are said to taste best; we're feeding them on corn and beans, including soya. And if they can be semi domesticated like that it means they are more likely to survive as a species because having the allied anti survival characteristics of being delicious AND trashing farmland is not likely to keep the few pockets of them alive for long in other places. We're sending the feathers to wand manufacturers too in the hopes they may have special properties; and they make good quills too. Long pin feathers. I bet you can't guess what Señor Carcano thinks he's found."

"I'm not even going to try" said David. "You tell me."

"Wyverns" said Victor.

"WYVERNS?" demanded David "They actually exist? I always thought the medieval illustrations were inaccurate attempts to draw dragons?"

"Apparently not" said Victor "Carcano has a reference in a German book to wyverns, a medieval scholar claiming to have seen the last mating pair in Bohemia, and by inference somewhere in the Czech Republic as it now is. Not THAT far north of Belsornia."

David nodded excitedly; Belsornia tucked into a valley where Slovenia, Austria and Hungary met. It was quite feasible if Wyverns did exist! And a large population of Perytons – and as well to manage the herd as let them be hunted to extinction – in addition to the unusual Graphorns, unique flying horses and the dragon reservation of Hungarian Horntails. Belsornia's remoteness and its proximity to the magical kingdom of Zorn was a unique situation; and of great importance to naturalists! He almost forgot what he was here for!

"Am I in a reservation in one of the hotels then?" he asked.

"Certainly not!" said Victor "You and your family are staying in the palace of course!"

"Well that is nice of you" said David.

"Nothing too good for a Triwizard champion" said Victor "And with nice dangerous beasties we might yet be supplying future Triwizard competitions with them too!"

"Greedy!" laughed David.

oOoOo

Victor showed David the big auditorium in the capital, Velikrade, built especially to house a specially constructed Wizarding Wireless Vision globe of immense proportions so that anyone could pay to view special programmes; the wildlife programmes were apparently a great success and Señor Carcano was a well-known figure in the whole country.

"He's a famous and popular man here" said Victor "And he's been good enough before going off on his trip to give autographs; and that one of his wives is a muggle has endeared him totally to the people. He's writing a book and I think it's already sold out before it's published!"

David laughed.

"Well good for Orlando! He's worked hard for it!"

"He has" said Victor. "Not that he's the only attraction; Quidditch is a draw, and the seats for seeing the world cup are sold out. Lucius says we shall have less cumbersome filming equipment in the future but frankly with the hovering charms on the recording globes I don't think it'll make much difference for quidditch. I can see it making a difference for Carcano though" he added "He uses omnioculars and takes short bursts of recording and then combines them in a globe. Very highly technical job. Wizarding Wireless Vision is going to be big business; and we're almost at the cutting edge here because of being a place experiments are tried for wildlife filming and for quidditch. And Wizarding Wireless Vision is the only way a lot of people will get to see the World Cup; with the best will in the world and magic to make it safe we can't build a stadium to hold more than a hundred and fifty thousand people."

"The number of people in the wizarding world just in England was brought home by the massive crowds celebrating Voldemort's death in the ten year after celebration" said David soberly. "You have Wizarding Wireless Vision in the hotels I suppose so people can be here for the atmosphere even if they can't be at the stadium for not being able to get tickets?"

"Yes; big viewing rooms rather than in individual rooms" said Victor. "It's a massive success; we hosted the semi final too between Poland and Ireland. We had a few problems with the leprechauns but on the whole it went well. We're actually planning a school for those who want to study wizarding subjects such that muggles can learn and to invite the muggle relatives of wizards from other countries to come too; though we shall charge them. For Belsornians it will come under the state education system; we NEED people educated to be technicians in wizarding wireless and to help design curse breaking chants and recognise potions and charms even if they can't brew or cast them, to officiate and check what's being sold; and those to guide school trips to see various animals. And the time is right, because of the interest. We also have an arrangement with Zorn that any squibs will come to the school as a matter of right as though they were Belsornians, and any muggles from families Zornians should marry into, when out in the world. It doesn't happen often, but it has been known."

"Ambitious but exciting" said David. They had apparated to the sports village as Victor explained all this, and David looked around with approval. The buildings were mostly brick and wood and very pleasant to look upon; the naïve rusticity plainly deliberate to give people the 'Belsornia experience'. And local craftsmen were doing a roaring trade with the few early tourists – and here David had to stop and sign autographs for a few small boys who recognised him – in permanent tourist trap shops. There were a number of goblins about; a new departure for Belsornia.

"We're offering total equality and wand carrying rights for goblins and their chance in scholarships to Prince Peak to relocate and boost our technical support" said Victor "We can afford immigrants with the increase in revenue; and they add significantly to it too. It made a lot of sense."

David nodded; he liked the idea. And it seemed quite likely that Belsornia would end up with the largest population of mixed race wizards in the world, exceeding even England; they were a happy-go-lucky people who took others as they found them! And the stadium was superb! It rose higher than was possible with muggle engineering, the top tiers strengthened with magic; and Victor showed him around. There were luxury suites within for referee and officials; top rank dressing rooms and accommodation for players, massage rooms with highly trained French goblin Masseurs and Masseuses, and in the public areas ample toilets, drinking fountains, and small shop areas.

"I went to America and looked at muggle American Football Stadia" said Victor "They being well versed in catering to crowds; we wizards tend to throw up tiers and expect people to live out of tents. We do have a field for tents for those who can't afford tickets and hotels both; but it's a bit better regulated with neatly laid out plots and standpipes of dedicated water summoning wands and we check out all the food providers and there are plots set aside for them at regular intervals so nobody is too far from food if they don't want to cook; and we have hard areas with dedicated bluebell flame wands for cooking on for those tents not equipped with cookstoves. If something's worth doing it's worth doing well" he added.

"I agree; and you've made an excellent job of it" admired David. He was really looking forward to refereeing a match in such surroundings!

oOoOo

The crowd roared in approval as the officials came out to take their places, distinctive in their all black robes, a hot colour for the time of year; but David had cast cooling charms on himself and if the other officials had not, that was their problem. He had shaken hands with them all; he knew a couple of them from other international games and would be glad of their extra eyes to wave flag on a foul he might miss; and for the first time too Wizarding Wireless Vision had a special replay function to aid with referee decisions, though David hoped not to have to use it. It was a poor referee who had to rely on viewing replays unless there was a situation so unusual that it was the only way to make a decision.

And then the teams were coming out; Poland first in their purple robes, hardly less hot than black but the players not permitted self affecting spells. They would have to rely on dedicated cooling belts; such were permitted equipment and he and the officials had checked the kit of every player beforehand to see that all was legal; climate-countering kit was permitted. Not all the players bothered; Portugal was a hot country at the best of times and Poland got very hot in the summer and most were acclimatised. David found it harder being from chilly England, even though he had but recently been living in Austria; the sun was strong but the altitude of the Prinzhorn did modify the heat out of its direct rays!

The Polish mascots preceded their team; they were Shishigi, forest nymphs sometimes called wood-goblins. They were not as fair of form as some wood nymphs being more goblin like in appearance; with a brownish-green skin and light green hair with blonde highlights. David had looked them up beforehand and found that a shishiga who lived in sunlight lost the green tinge to her hair and skin entirely becoming blonde, with tanned-appearing skin. David had no objection to Shishigi; they herded trees and forest creatures much like dryads and nymphs and were only a problem to habitual drunkards who were cursed for being in the presence of the magical beings and given bad nightmares until they foreswore alcohol. David thought it a rather splendid trait to have. He had, after all, been orphaned by a drunk driver killing his parents and little sister.

The Portuguese mascots were Duende; the Hispanic leprechaun was a slightly larger fellow than the Irish kind, up to about a foot high, and where Irish leprechauns tended to be snappy dressers, the Duende were ragged creatures who favoured outsize hats larger than themselves. David knew to beware of their fey talents; Seagh had warned him that Duende knew how to use magic in music, whistling a tune that lured people in the direction they desired, which they might use to lure people into a forest to get lost, if they disliked their victim, or equally to help lost travellers find their way. Whether this second use was out of altruism or merely to get blundering big people out of their forest Seagh could not say; like leprechauns they were sentient but classed as beasts, an issue Seagh hoped to address at some point but as they were happy, as were leprechauns, with the way things stood for now, there were greater priorities.

They were followed by the Portuguese team in their cream and green robes and the goblins in the crowd sent up a cheer. The team waved.

The Shishigi went into their pre-match dance and conjured up illusory forests around them to flit in and out of; then the Duende took over and started whistling as they danced, and half the younger females in the audience gasped in pleasure and swayed forward. They were toning it down, David was glad to see.

After the mascot displays, the officials led the mascots each to their own areas; and David smiled to himself. He had gone to a lot of trouble to chant up a region of music depressing where the Duende were, and where the Veeli might be placed in the future when Bulgaria was playing, and any other such mascots with hypnotic song. It was technically dark magic but under the circumstances having a music sucking spell was almost required.

He strolled over as one of the Duende had found out what had been done and the little green fellow started shouting.

"Buenos dias amigos" said David "Know that I have removed the temptation from you to unlawfully help out your team in any way but cheering; we've had enough trouble from Veeli. Nothing personal; but it will save your chaps getting penalties for your actions; and that has to be good, hmm?"

The Duende might disagree but he left them little choice. They muttered but subsided.

David then shook hands with the two captains and the teams took their positions.

oOoOo

And then the game was on.

The teams were closely matched; but the Polish formation flying was superb and drew slightly ahead on points through it before long.

And then, within half an hour of the match starting, a freak accident occurred.

The missile barrier to prevent bumphing, knocking bludgers towards the crowd, was still in place; nobody had removed it and the IAQ considered it such an excellent safeguard that they had voted to maintain it.

The bludger, struck by Garcia of Portugal, missed the chaser he was aiming at, bounced off the barrier and took the Polish seeker, Radetskia in the back. She plummeted.

David signalled a medical time out; it looked bad.

The healers ran on and the captains flew over to see what the prognosis was, the Portuguese captain Trucco apologising profusely, as was Garcia.

The two captains joined David.

"Whilst it is good practice to take out the seeker, this was an accident" said Trucco "And the healers say that Radetskia will be in need of skelegrow which takes eight hours to work; you are a mighty English wizard with strange and esoteric powers, is it possible that you can perform a ritual to restore the Polish seeker sooner than that? My team does not wish to win from a freak accident and would rather lose than profit so. I have spoken to Zdun of Poland here and he is agreed."

"It is most sportsmanlike" said Zdun, who had spent time as a sheep and was amazed and humbled by Trucco's offer.

"I agree" said David "And a credit to quidditch; and win or lose I think Portugal will be much honoured for this; and indeed both teams for managing amicable discussion. I will use a healing chant since both captains are ready to ask this."

He proceeded to do so; and Radetskia groaned and sat up.

Zdun pushed her down again; David had not finished.

"I feel like I've been walked on by an erumpant" said Radetskia "What happened?"

"A freak accident" said David "And you the gainer for the sportsmanship shown here. You have one minute to remount before I restart the game."

And they were playing again. Radetskaia was still bruised; but certainly functional. And the crowd, having been told what had happened announced, cheered wildly.

oOoOo

It was a long match and was unresolved when the light failed and stopped play. David was exhausted! He had refereed long matches before, but never one of such high profile, where he was on display to the whole world as much as the players!

Mr Hassan Mostafa, Chairwizard of the IAQ, pumped his hand as he left the stadium.

"Mr Fraser! An honour to meet you; what a splendid match and what excellent sportsmanship!" he declared.

"Yes; after the last few world cups I'm amazed; I don't know the statistics but I wouldn't be surprised if it had the lowest number of fouls ever; both teams seem to be rising to the challenge to be most sportsmanlike. Princess Josefina's speech last time must have really gone home!" said David.

Mr Mostafa laughed.

"I suspect it's partly constructive fear about what the famous David Fraser would do to any who infringed too blatantly!" he said "No my boy, don't expostulate, you DO have a reputation you know! I know you wouldn't cast spell, with or without a wand, during a match, except to save life; but it does the players no harm to wonder if you would turn spell on yourself and become a Griffon as you are known to be able to do. Still, I must say, the Portuguese players have shown themselves to be sportsmanlike all through; and it is lifting the Poles who do not wish to be seen as less sportsmanlike. I'm very pleased! Now, will you and your good lady dine with my wife and me? We've ordered Peryton steaks as a Belsornian speciality with a local wine and vegetables of the season."

"Thank you sir, Ellie and I would be delighted" said David. It would be interesting to see what Peryton tasted like; and to have a meal with so eminent a person as Hassan Mostafa was always an honour.

oOoOo

The meat was delicious and lived up to expectation and more; and the company was good too. Madam Mostafa was a round jolly woman who cheerfully admitted to having no interest in quidditch but to knowing enough to take efficient messages; and David grinned and said that the wife of his friend Ron Weasley was the same. Madam Mostafa was a master weaver; her family made flying carpets that were, she said firmly, more comfortable than brooms.

"I agree wholeheartedly" said Ellie "I follow quidditch, though I doubt I would if it wasn't for David; but taking babies places on brooms is NOT practical. I'm glad David pioneered the enchanting of muggle artefacts muggles expect to fly; it is far more practical. Though there is something rather stylish about a flying carpet."

"And one may, in the patterns, embed charms to make them more comfortable, to provide heating, and to make them jinx proof" said Madam Mostafa.

"Why, if it is not a craft secret, I should like to send Erica Malfoy to speak to you" said David "Because she is formulating a formal study of art in magic, not merely the making of magical pigments that allow our paintings to move, but the use of pattern in magic; Erica has been looking into the use of tattooing to carry say a shield charm at all times."

Madam Mostafa hesitated.

"It is something of a trade secret; but there are now so few families who know how to do it I think it would be well if it were known more widely. After all, it is the weaving of carpets that takes the long years to learn; the use of patterns to embed magic needs only enough dedication to learn some weaving techniques so that the fact of placing in such patterns can be retained. And if any of her pupils in the future are truly interested in taking up an apprenticeship, well we have already opened up apprenticeship to those outside the family. We even have – dear me, I was about to be tactless" she said.

"You were going to say a goblin or half goblin?" said Ellie "I do not easily take offence, save from the rude little boy in the school where we have both been teaching who called me an abomination and accused my parents of miscegenation."

"What appalling manners! Some pure bred blood snob?" said Madam Mostafa.

"No; a pure blood goblin blood snob" said Ellie dryly. "If you find any of goblin blood satisfactory I am delighted."

"The girl is a half goblin; her mother is a servant of mine who was raped by a muggle tourist" said Madam Mostafa. "And Meral is a delightful girl with very nimble fingers; she is one of my best apprentices. I am thinking of taking goblin apprentices too since England has proved them capable of learning, as we have always been taught hitherto was not possible. And as the IAQ is accepting goblins too I should be backward indeed if I did not come into line with the rest of the civilised world."

It was a most enjoyable evening all told and David almost forgot he was tired. Mr Mostafa wanted to hear all about Hogwarts and fighting Voldemort and about being muggle born; and it was his lady who insisted that he let David Fraser have some sleep for a busy day on the morrow!

David knew he could draw on the blood group; but a little sleep WOULD be nice! Their room in the palace was, well, palatial. It was also very comfortable and David was asleep before he could appreciate the opulent good taste. He had after all stayed in the palace before when they were escorting Sandalla to school the time she was kidnapped; but this was the first time he was a formal guest!

oOoOo

The morning's play began with a determined series of scores from Portugal, who were lifted by becoming the darlings of the crowd. Poland responded, but Portugal had the measure of the aggressive formation flying, a variant on the Hawkshead Attacking formation, and the Portuguese chasers pulled themselves sideways on to the arrowhead formation to make them pull up or be in danger of being given foul for blatching, flying with intent to collide. David sympathised with Poland a little over this; after all when the Hogwarts team had flown against Durmstrang they had used the tactic of flying straight at the beaters as well as chasers to make the Germans turn away first, and though there was no intention to collide in that it came close to blatching and was more blatant than the arrowhead formation. It was clever on the part of the Portuguese, however, who showed themselves to be resourceful and adaptive.

And then, half way through the morning, the crowd gave a shout.

The Portuguese seeker, Mendez, had seen the snitch!

Radetskaia was quickly after him, flying like a demon; and both jinked and whirled in a dance about the fluttering snitch, each trying to get into a position to take it; and David must keep his eyes partly on that and partly on the continued scoring that was becoming frenetic as each team strove for an advantage, desperate to be more than fifteen goals up to offset the catching of the snitch.

And then it was all over; and David blew his whistle.

The wiry Mendez had twisted, rolled, hung upside-down off his broom and caught the snitch in his sleeve, rapidly clapping the other hand to it to stop it flying out again before he could get skin contact, desperately hanging on by the ankles. And as the whistle went ending the match Mendez took his broom low, raised his head, and let go with his feet to drop in an ungainly pile to the ground as the easiest way of getting himself out of the predicament.

The noise from the crowd was tremendous!

The score stood at nine hundred and sixty to Portugal, eight hundred and twenty to Poland, the Poles having just outscored the Portuguese with quaffles.

It was a popular result and though Poland were disappointed they knew they had only their own selves to look to for any failure; since without Radetskaia, Mendez would have had no opposition at all. And though she might well have returned for the second day of play, there were times in the first day when her presence had prevented him gaining the snitch, when the manoeuvring of both seekers had lost them both the snitch.

The players all shook hands; and both lots of mascots came on to sing and dance as a finale to what David thought was the best World Cup he had ever attended; and not merely because he was involved in it!

"Professor Fraser! A word for Wizarding Wireless ?" said a reporter. It was Dennis Creevey.

"Certainly, if you wish Dennis" said David. "I was just reflecting this was the best World Cup I've ever been to; not just from the fun and honour to be refereeing but for the good sportsman-like conduct."

"It has been rather better than usual" said Dennis "I expect they were afraid you might put them in detention with a hundred lines if they didn't behave."

David laughed.

"If only enforcing a cessation of fouls could be that easy" he said.

"How are you looking forward to being headmaster at Hogwarts? Will it seem flat after refereeing the World Cup?" asked Dennis.

"Nervously; and not at all!" said David. "The junior school at Hogwarts is, I am sure, undiminished in its capacity for creative mischief as must pose a challenge for all the professors; even if the challenge is to manage not to laugh when some of the little horrors come up with an imaginatively specious piece of casuistry about why they were doing what they should not; I swear they get worse every year. You and I were never that bad, I'm sure!"

Dennis chuckled.

"David, you and I were junior fighters against Voldemort and took out our high spirits presenting ideas to the older ones and getting under foot to fight the Odessa Huorns."

"We got under foot rather successfully as I recall; you won marshmallows for extreme gallantry for tossing weed killer up to the flyers even though you had a broken ankle!"

"Now then, David Fraser, I'm supposed to be interviewing you about your actions of gallantry; let's leave my youthful peccadilloes out of it!" laughed Dennis.

"I don't think we should" said David "You were as staunch a fighter against the evil we faced as anyone; and awarding you marshmallows might have been flippant but it was meant as a compliment – because the older ones were impressed. Those of us who entered the blood pact with Harry get the kudos but it should NOT be forgotten that we had a load of people who supported us. And you are one of them, you and your brother Colin."

Dennis grinned.

"I have to say I almost miss those days; but we did our bit as reporters finding out stuff about Odessa. And I suppose before we know it, we'll all have kids at school wanting to fight dark wizards and we as staid parents shocked at them getting up to what we used to get up to!"

"Oh more than likely!" laughed David. "I have two children so far, daughters; what about you and Colin?"

"You're trying to interview me again!" said Dennis "Col has a son called Harry and another kid on the way and I'm not married yet. Now will you give me some thoughts on your future as headmaster? More extensive ones? Please nicely with melted marshmallow on top?"

"Oh since you put it that way" laughed David "Well I am very honoured and overwhelmed that Albus Dumbledore asked me to take on the job; I quite take his point, however, that a headmaster should not serve too long or he will stop giving as much to the school and merely become an institution; and that young blood brings changes with it."

"So are you being a new broom to institute new things?" asked Dennis. "Not too many changes I hope?"

"Not too many" said David "I have had a staff meeting to run my ideas past the staff; the smallest change is that the password to reach my office will in future be quidditch teams not sweeties; and the largest is to institute a whole school quidditch team as a permanent feature, drawn from the best, and more important, most co-operative players."

"Crumbs yes! WHAT a prima donna Cho Chang was, refusing to cede seeker to Harry and refusing to play at all when he offered her chaser. And she wasn't so good a seeker to put on the airs; Draco moved to chaser readily enough."

"Oh old history that's unfair to rake up; Cho is a married woman with children, it's unfair to cast up teenage tantrums, we all have our hissy fits at that age" said David equably.

"Some more than most" grinned Dennis. "Scared?"

"More nervous of letting Albus down" said David. "I feel that if I make a mistake, Minerva will be waiting to call me a 'wee sumpf'; but I have plenty of experience now of teaching and Albus trusts me to do the job well. So I must trust Albus, as I always have done, and hope that the trust he reposes in me is just. I'll certainly do my best not to fail him. Oh yes, that's another change; Albus instituted dancing classes on Saturdays in the Spring Term; we'll have a Saturday night dance all year round for those who want it in addition to the compulsory clodhopping lessons. Believe me, it DOES help the social gaucherie of the Yule Ball to be diminished; Severus has done it for years at Prince Peak and we have a lot less silliness there. At least, when we don't have the Broomstick Boys as post NEWT students" he added.

Dennis chuckled; and they went off to find a good Belsornian tavern for a long beer together.

And that was the World Cup for the next three years!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was going to be a busy holiday.

Severus came to Malfoy Manor; he had talked a lot of disparate teachers into holding an all-subject symposium; and had talked Lucius into letting them hold it at Malfoy Manor while he waited for the arrival of Tanjela's baby. The Malfoys would not be involved save that Narcissa was in her element organising the logistics and Lucius intended to attend what talks he could being an accredited examiner. A significant number of the teachers of Hogwarts and Durmstrang had accepted invitations; Jade and her new teachers were to attend for just two days of the five too, as they had so much to do getting their new school ready. They hoped, at the symposium, to [as Jade put it] pick the brains of experienced folk and get to know opposite numbers in various subjects. The New Marauders and friends from the Free School were also coming. They had volunteered to doss down in the stable loft if Lucius ran out of room and had been told snippily by Narcissa that Malfoy manor could sleep hundreds, and Abraxus had had his ears clipped by saying in an innocent tone of voice that he didn't think even uncle Lucius could manage to sleep hundreds and did Aunt Narcissa mean the notorious Malfoy woman who had held a competition with the muggle courtesan.

Beauxbatons too had sent a contingent, and one or two of the small schools offering three or four OWLs, awed to be invited; and Hellibores returned only Engelbert Hellibore himself and his younger teachers fresh from the ongoing symposium, as Hellibore put it, of Severus Snape's school.

Naturally all the Prince Peak teachers turned up to listen to the pearls of wisdom of others, except Ron who came in body with Hermione, but declared that it would make his head ache and suggested that he coach small Malfoys and their etceteras in quidditch, which was voted a great solution

He was joined by Viktor because Lydia wanted to discus chanting.

Severus welcomed everyone.

"We've got a few talks planned" he said "But the general idea of this symposium is to get to know each other, swap ideas, and see how far our various pet subjects overlap. I have certainly found that the more you learn, the more there is to learn; and the more things tie together. I cite chanting that can only be truly powerful with understanding of ancient runes, Arithmancy and higher levels of theory of charms and transfiguration and a passing acquaintance with comparative magic doesn't come amiss." There were murmurs of assent from those who were already converted and noises of disbelief from those who were not.

"But Severus, we 'ave no chanters in Beauxbatons, and we are pestered by ze French Quidditch Association to train some as 'ealers; what am I to do?" said Madam Maxime.

"Olympe, I have a French child in my school in the second year whose father is a healer; he's over at the back there somewhere because I invited him to attend" said Severus "And she has come specifically to learn chanting. And her father puts in what free time he has to learn also; and you will doubtless soon have a competent teacher of chanting. You can't have Hercule back though; he's too good an ancient runes teacher and a stalwart of the trains club" he added.

"I have a Dutch lad and an Italian girl just entering the sixth who have learned chanting under Jade Snape, Olympe" said Agata Bacsó "They will be likely to want a job in a couple of years; either one will fit in with your pupils I think. They are pleasant young people."

"Desolina would do well to have her confidence boosted though" said Jade laconically "She HAS got a poor self image; and she's so beautiful all the boys will get tonsillitis for leaving their tongues hanging out. Sigismundus is inclined to the abrasive and he doesn't suffer fools. Period. I like him; but I'm not a fool."

"Besides, he's one I have my eye on to start a Scandinavian School when you've trained replacements for us" said Bertel Elstrup.

"Poacher" said Jade without rancour. "Desolina then, Olympe? Perhaps you will write to her and ask if she is willing; to be wanted as a teacher before she even leaves school will be a real boost!"

"I agree" said Agata; and Olympe nodded.

"I shall do so" she said.

The first talk was Orlando Carcano on the subject of using Wizarding Wireless Vision as a supplement to lessons as well as to substitute for a lack of professors; and Mei Chang gave a supplemental talk as she was teaching in a school with limited resources and only a few professors, though as she said, her husband-to-be had made one more. Lucius assisted Orlando to demonstrate how a school might store globes with recorded information that could then be brought out at need; a globe would only hold ten minutes of stored footage, but this could be used, Orlando pointed out as supplemental to a broadcast programme or a Professor's lecture notes; in his subject, care of beasts, whilst there was no substitute for getting up front and personal, a view of a rare or difficult to see beast or a reiteration of the correct way to clean a firecrab was a useful thing for pupils to see more than once.

"Ar, and handy to do too when it's snowin'" said Hagrid, who had been talked into coming only because both Orlando and Madam Maxime were to be there, as well as David.

"Or when you're on top of a mountain when there's precious little wildlife that can reach you" said David.

Ross Tuthill nodded; being there as one of the new teachers of Prince Peak with his wife Heather – Geomancy – and sister Freya – comparative magic.

Freya had been promised by Jade a chance too to talk to a Japanese boy at some point about eastern traditions and she was looking forward to it; and meanwhile a symposium of skills by some of the world's most academic people thrilled her to the core; as too it thrilled Hermione.

It was generally reckoned to be a very productive few days, with two talks a day and discussion groups and informal debates going on late into the night. It might have been better organised a different year; but the time had felt right and Severus had put it off more than once because of such interruptions as Odessa; and he was NOT going to put it off again.

David enjoyed himself; and too it gave him a chance to mesh with the Hogwarts teachers there as one of them more than if he had just come in at the beginning of term to step into Albus' shoes.

The ancient runes people had got into a huddle together and seemed to be talking a variety of incomprehensible languages and gloating; Jade, Bertel Elstrup, Traudl Mondschein, Lydia Snape, Bathsheba Babbling, Agalisse Schreiber, Hercule Maxime and a Monsieur Deveraux enjoyed themselves no end; though not all of them taught Ancient Runes as their first subject. The arithmancers spoke their own language too until Jade strolled over and asked a very technical question that left most of them staring at her in horror and had Hermione throwing a cushion at her.

oOoOo

The symposium came to an end just after Lucius excused himself because his wife was in labour; he was wished good luck by most people and Severus was left to hold a final question and answer session from questions that had been formulated – if any – over the time period and to pick those who could answer them to do so. There were very few, and mostly from the French; almost everyone else had managed to get any questions answered in informal discussion. And then they broke up and went on their various ways, feeling on the whole enriched for the experience and, especially on the part of the teachers of the small schools, ready to tackle new things with more optimism. And one of the small school's principals said with more truth than tact as she shook hands with Severus,

"I didn't know posh people could be so nice."

oOoOo

Mei Chang and Mad Lockhart were staying on for the Weddings, theirs being one of them; as of course were Lydia and Victor for the same reason. Jade and Wulf would blow in for the ceremony and depart again for their new school, since they were busy collecting pupils for this, its first year; most of their other prospective teachers had been selecting pupils from their own neighbourhoods but Jade wanted to make sure that those of her own dependants who had the capacity and willingness to learn did not miss out places, and though she had been to some of the neighbourhoods she had not been yet to all. Jade had also acquired some goblin orphans from the sort of orphanage only Romanian muggles had so far managed to equal; and intended asking Helga and Stoyan to take charge of the new orphanage to which she had transplanted all the children.

Mei and Lydia therefore were some of the first to get to hand round the newer additions to Lucius' nursery, tiny Sapphira and brand new Narcissa Fenella Charlotte. Tanjela was delighted to have given Lucius a daughter after three sons and wanted to name her after Narcissa for the official Madam Malfoy's generous nature as well as the other girls, taking the English form of Finn's Gaelic name Fionnuaghla. And it was largely thanks to Finn that Tanjela had survived a knife attack from a fanatic at the Celebration that Voldemort was mouldy – as various Snapes and Malfoys irreverently described it – and that moreover she had not been forced into a miscarriage. Cosmo was busy organising his mother, being five years old and very protective of a baby sister, busy bossing twins Justus and Lucien and Narcissa's Scorpius and Finn's Abraxus who were old enough to be cronies. Cosmo's own age group consisted of Salix and Sallow, Pieris and their nephew Jareth; and they were told firmly that this was HIS mummy and only their muvver and gran and it was HIS responsibility. Lucius' children divided their mothers into mummy – their own mother – and two muvvers. Tanjela made a mental note to keep an eye on this one-upmanship and make sure it did NOT tip over into obnoxiousness. Cosmo was a symbol, and a favourite of Draco and Gorbrin both, and it was up to the Malfoy Mothers to make sure he did NOT become spoilt. She would talk to Narcissa about it.

She had tried again only in the hopes of getting a girl; which as she had previously produced only three boys out of her long family of daughters for Tobak was a bit of an irony. Lucius did not care – any more than Tobak had done – in that he loved all his children equally.

"That's my lot" said Tanjela "I've had a dozen children, and though six of them came the easy way in pairs I think that's enough for any woman."

"I agree" said Lucius "Having babies is a strain on the system, even well spaced apart. You girls have given me many wonderful children, and I rejoice in them all; but many more and I'd run out of names and have to start calling them things like Duodecalotsima."

"Over your dead body!" giggled Tanjela.

"And that goes for Finn too" said Lucius "Unless, my little one, you REALLY get broody, two half human children is enough for your body; Charlotte may be no taller than you but she's a pocket Venus and has wider hips."

"I do agree" said Finn "Well at the moment I do; but then I'm still remembering birthing Sapphira. You know, ten years in the future who knows?"

oOoOo

Brides and grooms started arriving and Lucius chortled gently about the cats that would be set among some pigeons with his choice of whom to launch.

There would be no surprise over his niece Lydia and her famous Quidditch playing husband; and that her husband's brother was marrying a ward of Lydia's father seemed a reasonable double wedding.

He had launched Weasleys before too, usually Arthur Weasleys, with Molly in cahoots with his wives; so few questions would be asked about Theo Weasley, Arthur's nephew. THAT wedding however was more because the Marauders felt it was owed to Peter Pettigrew to see his daughter well launched; and Peter was to stay in Malfoy Manor for the ceremony. It was not the first time he had been there, of course, and hopefully the unpleasant associations would be outweighed by the joyous occasion. Lucius planned to be as gentle with him as he could. Poor Peter had improved a lot in the last decade, especially with his daughter's care; and had managed to mingle briefly with the crowds at the Celebration, and had cried over the sensitive way Dumbledore had handled his descent into darkness and part in caring for the homunculus form of the Dark Lord in the display about the life and death of Tom Riddle. Peter had a full pardon; but facing society was something he preferred to do anonymously, and he had asked if someone else could give his daughter away.

Peronel – Nell to her friends – had been reared by Theo's parents since she had turned so dramatically from Theo's rat into a teenage girl on one train journey; and Theo's father Perceval was glad to take on the duty. Sirius, Remus and Severus had all offered to do so if Perceval would not; for old times sake. And so had Harry; and Peter had been quite overwhelmed.

He had spoken to the portrait of James Potter just before all the fuss and ceremony at Easter; and James had forgiven him. And that had gone a long way to helping Peter to come out into public at all. And he looked younger by far than he had ten years before under Voldemort's thrall; if not yet a sleek sort of rat, at least a more contented one.

So much for those that might be expected to be on Lucius Malfoy's wedding list; the other two couples would cause a great deal of comment.

Lucius was giving a grand send off to Nigel Clough and Shona Moorcroft as a personal favour to Severus, who reckoned them among the best potioneers he had ever taught at Hogwarts; because Severus partly regretted having left them for Prince Peak, though as he said, they were too talented NOT to thrive. Shona and Nigel were both working with Severus' cousin, Pete, in the shop in Obscura Alley, to enable him to expand; and had been out of school the year round before deciding that they had saved enough to make down payments on their own little house in Crepuscular Crescent; which may be a neighbourhood that was slightly below Tangent Court where they had both grown up but as Shona said, owning in a less prestigious neighbourhood was better than renting any place. There was very little difference in quality really save that Crepuscular Crescent was associated with the notorious Umbrous Alley complex; and that was becoming less notorious with the improvements wrought by the likes of Mr Malfoy.

The final couple would be the real test of who stayed on the Malfoy Manor Christmas card list.

The elf Kreacher, with his new found confidence and rejuvenated form had swept Polly, the first true free-born elf and the first elf in Hogwarts, off her dainty feet. Both had formalised the tall-elf form pioneered by Sirri and Beloc; and closer to the natural form of elves before high fey tinkering had both reduced and enslaved them. Kreacher had asked Lydia to make him a hair growing potion to carefully give himself a most Mephistophelian beard and moustache that, once trimmed, needed no further attention once the effects of hair growth of the potion ceased; and he was well pleased with the effect. Whatever the age of a house elf there was always a childishness to their features because of the proportions of the face; and the full set offset that. Kreacher had got the idea out of a muggle graphic novel owned by the Casimir Malfoy family called Elfquest; and considered himself quite as dashing as Bearclaw. Polly agreed. They were going on honeymoon on a flying Moto Guzzi because the Italian superbike was the only bike of its class to be low enough to the ground to be driven by someone of no more than five feet tall in Newrocks.

Kreacher HAD been featured in the display; and in the life of Tom Riddle published by the 'Wizarding Times' – a more factual and down to earth saga than the lurid tales of 'Witch Weekly' – as being one of the heroes of the war for having aided his Master Regulus Black in his attempts to destroy a horcrux, and that he had not been successful until the Blood Group had researched how to do it and helped him was scarcely his fault. And he was for his gallantry considered to be the brother of Sirius Black; and as such, the cousin of Narcissa Black Malfoy and only proper, as Lucius put it to anyone who actually asked, to be launched in his marriage from his cousin's house. Not that any who were not in the know of the background DID bother to ask if Lucius had any other reason than stirring the cauldron. *

Naturally the 'Daily Prophet' which alternately sucked up to Lucius and castigated him ran an article asking if Lucius really HAD finally lost its marbles; engendering a letter from Mimi Snape who asked sweetly if they had forgotten calling her a delicate and petite beauty when featuring in their sister magazine 'Witch Weekly' a spread about her and her boyfriend, and had they actually lost the plot completely since anyone with the ability to read who kept old newspapers for craft activities and mopping up muddy floors could check how their stories wavered from week to week as was proven by the old cuttings shown in the Hogwarts Albus Dumbledore School Museum where their fickle treatment of Harry Potter was on display for everyone to laugh at.

It was not printed.

The copy to the 'Times' was printed together with a comment from Lucius as editor that only the previous week his fey and goblin wives were poor and exploited and if the 'Daily Prophet' wanted jam they could hardly expect to have marmite as well without getting gut ache.

Lucius forced a retraction from the 'Prophet' at, as he put it, Quaestor-point; since they had been foolish enough to wonder that Lucius should show respect to 'some elf from who knew where' even if the bride was a friend of his niece Lydia.

As there was good and public documentation of Kreacher as a hero of the Voldemort wars Lucius took up cudgels on his behalf accordingly and his part in the war was duly printed by the 'Prophet'. After all, many of the masses read the 'Prophet' rather than the 'Times'; and keeping it on the straight and narrow so far as truth was concerned was important if the nation was not, once again, to be ruled by media hysteria as it had in the Voldemort years.

oOoOo

Meanwhile at the wedding the guests either accepted Lucius' choice of protégés or left in high dudgeon because he was rude to them.

Madam Flyte-Johnston did NOT attend this year and so avoided being either offended or jinxed.

Lucius HAD invited the two girls from the Umbrous Alley complex who were to go into the fifth at Hogwarts; Storm and Zephyra were daughters of twin half fey sisters and were already members of the Society Against Slavery; as was Lucius' step daughter Zajala and Kordach's oldest legitimate daughter Jabala. Naturally Kordach and offspring were on the guest list; and Kordach had been straight now for the last decade and Lucius had proposed, and had him voted onto, the council as one of the hereditary members representing goblins. He had also proposed Ragnok the Pigeon-toed, an author of a fairly literate and not too rabid complaint about the treatment of goblins with enough research in it that Percy Weasley used it as a text book to teach history in Prince Peak; Percy's brother Bill having got on well with Ragnok, working in Gringott's beside him. He was considered a better choice than Bodrig the boss-eyed, head of the Brotherhood of Goblins; since Bodrig claimed that B.O.G. did not condone violence and yet showed covert support towards those goblins who HAD been violent. Ragnok was to adopt the surname 'Pigeon' as a perfectly good surname; and his children were due to start Hogwarts soon since he had not married until Voldemort had fallen.

Lucius had also proposed Torlo, as friend of Tobak, martyr to the wizard Samuel Block, who wanted to carry on his friend's concept of peaceful co-operation; and he too had been accepted.

Naturally all the Goblin aristocracy were at the social event of the year – Narcissa's description not disputed by many – and Lucius was happy to chat with them as well as cuffing sundry children who got underfoot with impartiality. Since this was mostly his offspring, Konal's and those of Torlo, there was no offence to be taken.

Another new council member was Albus Dumbledore, invited onto the council by general acclaim. Albus had hesitated and accepted, but declaring that he would never stand for head of the council and asking that he not be proposed. His closest friends knew why; and promised to respect his wishes in that. It also gave Lucius the chance to propose the current head of Hogwarts, David Fraser who HAD been one of the original blood group; and his offspring would also be those of another staunch member of that body, Ellie Devlin Fraser.

"You're insane, Lucius; I already have too many hats!" protested David.

"And are great enough to balance them one on top of each other" said Lucius. "You are a rational and calm person; with chilling insights into evil. It is your duty."

"Where's Draco to mutter 'it is your destiny, join with me and we will rule the galaxy together' when I need a Star Wars quote?" said David.

"You will though, won't you?" said Lucius.

"You're going to railroad me in like you railroaded Severus; I suppose I DO have a lot of influence in the wizarding world; it makes some sense" sighed David. "How could you do a thing like that to my poor innocent children though?"

Lucius laughed.

"Oh maybe one of them will be sufficiently corrupted by me to like politics" he said.

"You're a bad man, Lucius"

"So my wives keep saying" grinned Lucius.

oOoOo

The younger people at the wedding were entirely uninterested in politics. And certain young people at the wedding were interested in sorting out Yulan Chang into their blood group; and several adults blinked as they felt a blooding ceremony happen right before the young couples were ready to come out for their own ceremonies. The three lower level marauders had brought in Sevvy, Tarquin and Candace to support them and brought Naomi Cooper in properly because Niobe and Isambard had explained it to her and Naomi was dead keen. And Mad and Mei hoped fervently that Chrysogon Rufus, who was to be their page just because it was funny to run with the Lockhart golden curls theme had not got blood on his robes.

"Now THAT is what I call a casuistry of timing" said David dryly to Ellie.

"Hoping we'll have forgotten about it by the time we get a chance to scold them? Undoubtedly" said Ellie sending a 'come here now' pulse to sundry junior marauders. "Well they'll be disappointed."

oOoOo

"Explain" said David. He was going to be their headmaster; one might as well establish that authority sooner as later.

"It's because we thought it was rotten that my cousin Yulan should be a squib" said Jingjie "When we CAN do something about it and she's the game sort of kid who OUGHT to maraud. And it seemed silly not to bring in Naomi properly as she's kinda part blooded to protect her from her uncle."

"If you little horrors had only run it past one of us we'd have agreed" said David "You are naughty children to do it in such a way as to hope to slide it past us in a wedding! From the whole er, twenty five of you I shall have, in your best handwriting, the Jungle Law in its entirety; it shows that rules have a reason and emphasises obedience to be handed in on the first day of term. Now scram!"

They scrammed.

"Is he allowed to set impots in the hols?" asked Naomi "especially those who haven't properly started yet?"

"Young Cooper, we do NOT question what the Great David Fraser is allowed to do" said Lilith "We just thank our lucky stars he gave us something relatively mild and can truthfully say to sterner big ones that he's punished us; or we might have ended up with a huge ticking off from people like daddy or Padfoot. We'll do it all together over the weevil fest before brekker tomorrow."

"Oh all right" said Naomi. "Only I wouldn't want to start off marauding without standing up for my rights."

"There's standing up for your rights and knowing when you've been caught er, literally, red handed" said Lilith. "There are NO flies on our new Headmaster."

The four blooded weevils-to-be went looking for other weevils while the present marauders went looking for pompous people to make their farts fluoresce.

The youngest already knew some of the others; Salazar Gaunt-Moody, Bryony Nuffield, Neesa Smith and Charlie Rawlins, Timothy Pender-Malfoy, Henry Tranter – another half brother of Roger Blake – and Ragnok gan Tokar – named after the new goblin council member – were all sometime playmates, the first group in the Orme Court area because Bryony sometimes stayed with her cousin Lee; and Timothy, Henry and Ragnok from gets together either in Obscura Alley or Malfoy Manor. They also knew Castor and Pollux Black a little, as they had been too to stay at Malfoy Manor both as Narcissa's Black cousins and because Dudley Dursely was married to a cousin of theirs. They were also cousins of the Christies who had proved that the descendents of a squib could be perfectly well endowed with ability; and were ready to prove themselves.

The cautiously friendly goblin girl from Nottingham, Zeljeela gan Jorg, was there at Dumbledore's request; being the oldest daughter of the goblin who had seen Candace and Phyllis to the castle when they ran away from home; and Albus had made a vow to himself that the man's children should have places. Candace had not yet met Zeljeela though they had been pen-pals; it was inappropriate for Candace to visit Nottingham as she was officially dead and it was unfair to drag Jorg up to Scotland just for an earlier meeting.

Candace wanted to be friends with Zeljeela because anyone who had so kind a father had to be brought up to be really nice; and she was not disappointed. Zeljeela was looking forward to being friends with the plucky little human girl, as her father had described Candace, as much as Candace was looking forward to being friends with her.

Lucius had also invited Clisithyra Attercop, the sister of Lycidice; as well as Darren Slugworthy, Kevin's brother and Sebastian Macmillan in the hopes that the latter was not inculcated with hate against his brother Albert through their parents' silliness. And to check his wand to see that he had one of his own.

Lucius drew the boy firmly away from his parents and simpering sisters at the first opportunity.

"Did they buy you a wand of your own?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you sir" said Sebastian "After Uncle Herbert went on at them they didn't dare not to. I say, sir,I haven't seen Albert in years is he all right?"

"Albert is doing well and better for being out of the way of your ruddy sisters" said Lucius "I KNOW about older sisters, believe me; though at least my parents weren't so foolish as to make as much difference between children as seems to have happened in your family."

"I got lucky to be the baby in a way" said Sebastian "Which offset a little bit not being a girl; and I am named after dad. Uncle Herbert says Albert is Head of Hufflepuff House and is taking five NEWTs and dad says that's ridiculous he can't see how he managed five OWLs and nobody would trust him even as a prefect; what's the truth?"

"Your uncle is quite correct" said Lucius dryly "Albert has been a prefect from the fifth, being a very responsible lad; and head of house since the lower sixth though I understand with the other choices it's not so much a compliment to him as it might have been had there been better prefects in Hufflepuff. And he IS taking five NEWTs and is on track for good grades; he has nine OWLs as I recall. He's a friend of my son Gorbrin you see" he added. "And with a proper wand we expect him to do very well. You can be justly proud of him."

"I AM glad" said Sebastian. "Dad has a bee in his bonnet that Albert's next to a squib; and I'm afraid having once made that diagnosis, even the most learned man in the land, Professor Dumbledore, isn't going to shift that opinion. I'm supposed to be dim" he added.

Lucius snorted.

"As my niece Lilith would say, doxy droppings! You work hard, my lad, and accept help from your brother and from marauders and I'm sure you'll do just fine!"

Sebastian brightened.

"Well sir, if you think it's worth trying I SHALL work hard! And I jolly well shall do better than Albertine and Camilla too!"

"Good lad!" approved Lucius "Come and meet some of the others your age."

He proceeded to deposit Sebastian on Timothy and etceteras, Timothy being his adoptive son and more a natural Malfoy than either Ian or James for having been subject to being a Malfoy longer; Gorbrin was just exceptional, reflected Lucius with a fond smile.

This left Sebastian in the centre of the most influential children in the year; and Lucius went to find sundry junior marauders to suggest that the boy's parents were fit subjects for as outrageous a set of jinxes as they could dream up.

Mr and Mrs Sebastian MacMillan did not realise it for a while but they quickly became subject to the dirigible fart curse; it would be the morning before they realised that they were jinxed when they were floating from their bottoms. Meanwhile, they were utterly unconscious of the fact that their farts were simultaneously caught in a bubble and were being transfigured into hydrogen.

"Lucius" said Severus, seeing familiar movements of his daughter's wand "The notion has been growing on me that you deliberately serve greasy food at weddings to facilitate the likes of the fluorescent fart jinx and the dirigible fart curse; and as I know for a fact that the meal being prepared in the kitchen contains Brussels sprouts deep fried in batter, broad beans AND runners I believe I'm convinced of it."

Lucius grinned unrepentantly.

"I believe it was your Lilith who said the only reason for weddings was to jinx the pompous" he said.

"Don't you start blaming Lilith; you were bad enough BEFORE she started school" said Severus

Lucius laughed.

"True dear boy" he said "But she DOES help to keep me young!"

"Second childhood!" retorted Severus.

oOoOo

And then the brides were brought out by their fathers or surrogates.

Lydia had Jade there as a matron of honour; and Mimi, Lilith and Zvetelina as her senior bridesmaids. Viktor's father had needed to confess in a hurry to his wife that he had had and still maintained his muggle mistress; there was a certain chill in the air between Mrs Krumm and her husband though she was civil enough to Zvetelina and Stoyan's mother, who had been unaware that her lover had been married. Viktor had managed to catch a word with Lydia to mutter that he was rather in the doghouse himself for keeping his father's secret. Still, all the assorted parents were able to look pleased for their respective sons.

It has to be said that Lydia did rather steal Helga's thunder quite unintentionally; Helga was a pretty girl with Germanic flaxen locks and blue eyes; but Lydia was a piece of petite porcelain perfection, with her perfect Malfoy skin, big blue eyes and silver-gilt ringlets. The critical might liken her to a china doll; but Lydia just glowed with inner beauty. Helga was full of happy aplomb as a bride is supposed to be; but Lydia was always a girl at whom one looked twice, like Jade; shining with an inner calm that came with having total self confidence.

Mei and Polly had much the same look; the look of Marauders. Mei had decided to be firmly Chinese in her symbolism and was wearing red silk brocade which looked far better on her oriental beauty than white, which would have made her look sallow. Chrysogon Rufus was in white satin – unstained by blood – and managed to send half the female guests almost into a swoon. HOW he had managed to avoid staining it when taking part in an illicit and unsanctioned blooding of Mei's little squib cousin Yulan was more of a wonder, as Mad put it, than finding a courteous German. Mad had only met bad examples of Germans so nobody bothered to mention the exceptions Jade had stolen in Durmstrang. Chrys looked as though butter would not melt in his mouth; and Mei, who was fond of Yulan, readily forgave him.

Polly was wearing a dress similar enough to Lydia's to be a matched pair, and both wore ivory, closely tailored to show off their slim figures to the best advantage, high to the neck with bare arms and long gloves, the skirt bursting forth from knee level in exuberant froth with a slight train. Both girls admired the style of the 1930s and had chosen their robes from pictures of muggle film stars.

Nell and Shona and Helga were more conventionally clad than the three marauding brides; and Shona at least secretly wished she had the chutzpah to carry off such outrageous ideas as the Marauders went for. Still, the idea of the day was to be married; and sensible Shona preferred to marry her Nigel in any clothes that made her decent rather than not be marrying him, and would have worn a sack if it was the only way she could get married.

It was, however, galling to consider that so would any of the marauders and would probably manage to make it look like a designer sack. Still, Shona liked all the Marauders; and tried not to be jealous of their style and aplomb.

oOoOo

*_thanks for that phrase to Trancefan who commented when beta'ing and I couldn't resist using it… _


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Wedding night or no, the habit of so many years was impossible to break; and the newly wed marauders met in the dewy early morning. Lydia linked arms with Mei and Polly.

"Well you had to wait for your toy boy to grow up for a year; satisfied, Mei?" she asked.

"Mostly" said Mei, her eyes twinkling with suppressed laughter. "You know what my git of a husband said as a reason to start a reprise of passion?"

"Something daft and faintly offensive knowing Mad" said Lydia "He may have been married as Amadeo but Mad he always will be."

"Rather! He said 'you know how it is when you've had a Chinese, half an hour later you fancy another' the git!" Mei was half indignant but laughing.

"Scrote! I hope you poked him well!" chuckled Lydia.

"Oh I did; and one thing led to another anyhow" said Mei, blushing. "How was yours?"

"Great loving, but when he fell asleep I had to book him for cobbing" said Lydia "He sleeps with his elbows sticking out."

"There's rather a lot of Viktor to have to fold up" said Polly "Not a problem I have with Kreacher; only his nightmares, though he didn't have any last night" she too flushed.

"Oh, you jumped the gun with him too, did you?" laughed Lydia "We honeymooned first at the World Cup."

"I've been sleeping with Kreacher since Yule" said Polly "Because he needs me to look after him; he's like Padfoot, all sort of self possessed on the outside and hurting from loads of stuff on the inside that he's getting over; but being loved DOES help. I'm about three months gone" she added cheerfully.

"Well how about that!" said Mei "Are you telling me I'm the only one of our set who stayed chaste for my wedding day?"

"'Fraid so old thing" said Lydia "At least it gave Mad the chance to make that awful joke; think what you'd have missed if your first time had been a hurried tumble behind the broomsheds."

"And that's supposed to be a recommendation?" laughed Mei. "What's important is that we're with the right people and it feels so right."

"Here here" said Lydia.

oOoOo

The Stripy Marauders were plotting, up an apple tree, munching apples that would give anyone but small children bellyache for not being quite ripe.

"I had an idea for a splendiferous jape" said Lilith.

"Why am I not surprised?" said Sextus, throwing an apple at her "I found a worm in this one; complain to your uncle Lucius."

"Complain yourself and be thankful it wasn't half a worm" said Lilith throwing it back. "Sit quietly and talk to your wriggling little friend if you don't want to hear about my jape."

"The rest of us do" said Jayashree "Ignore Sec; he's a Ravenclaw and can't help it."

"I will" said Lilith "I'm practising to be married to him; wives always need to know when to ignore their husbands."

She negated the ears made of apples that Sextus had used a switching spell to give her and put her own back on with barely a flick of the hand.

"Well get ON with it" demanded Venus.

"We're all ears" said Kazrael.

"Even if ours aren't apple flavoured" said Gennar.

"I was thinking" said Lilith "Bearing in mind the spectacular coup of the Belle Marauders' oubliette, that we ought to do something of our own sort of Labyrinthish; so I came up with making the Bog of Quite-Long-Lasting Stench."

"The bog of – you mean like the bog of eternal stench? From Labyrinth?" said Sextus.

"Exactly; only eternal is such a very over the top concept for a jape" said Lilith "And David – I mean Professor Fraser would be justly most scrutiatingly waxy about it. And I know zigackly how to do it."

"Shoot; we're interested" said Gennar.

"See, the spell to turn something swampy is _paluster_; and I know that because the Hellibore boy used that in the Triwizard to try to slow down his Graphorn. And then all we need to do is make it smelly."

"Well that's easier said than done" grumbled Kazrael.

"Oh ye of little faith! I know how to do that too!" said Lilith.

"It'd take an awful lot of farting" said Venus.

"Yes and we use the school's collective bottoms again like for the great Helium Jape" said Lilith "Only instead of collecting it in bubbles we just use an engulfing charm tied to gas only to take it directly into the Bog of Quite-Long-lasting Stench."

"Brilliant as always" said Sextus "We bow to your ingenuity – well we would if we weren't afraid of falling out of the tree. Let's go and have some real breakfast; I have indigestion from stuffing green apples."

oOoOo

Storm and Zephyra were taken aback at how early Zajala, and the other girl who was sharing her room, Jabala Kordach, rose. Zajala explained about the MSHG and its beginnings; and the girls nodded acceptance. Both wanted to do well; informal extra lessons on stuff not part of the curriculum should help that.

"And if Jocelyne had come, just think, she'd either have sneered at it as a kids' club or gone along only to make contacts with the rich and famous" said Storm to Zephyra as they washed hurriedly, speaking of another girl from the free school who hoped to be sponsored to Hogwarts.

"Well that's why we got to come up a year early and she didn't; we got spoken out for" said Zephyra. "These Malfoys really live well; a huge room to herself for normal use and such luxury!"

"More I reckon than even Kordach's daughter is used to" agreed Storm "And still as nice as nice; I know she remembers being poor but y'know, the human Malfoys have been real nice too. Cuh, I wouldn't half like to marry someone that lives like this; but even if we don't, we have every chance of getting jobs that will give us a load more than we might have ever imagined before staying in a room like this" she glanced around at Zajala's pretty bedroom, that was, had she but known it plain by the standards of some. The furniture was, however, antique of excellent quality, arts and crafts in style with Merlin and Nimue and Arthur and Guinevere inlaid on the wardrobe doors in intricacy that avoided being fussy, and pretty William Morris wallpaper in cream, beige and red, and the whole décor picking up on that theme of colour, the cream satin coverlet on the bed embroidered with red roses with beige leaves, and a cream and beige carpet with red accents on the floor. The window seat was a Luytens garden seat that had attracted Zajala at a muggle auction as much because the name was the same as that of Jade's husband as because she liked the style; it sported a mattress and velvet and silk cushions in the same colour scheme, embroidered by Zajala herself under guidance by Narcissa; which she had pointed out when the new girls admired them, to their amazement that rich kids could still turn their hands to something like this! Zajala's dressing table set was another antique; the pieces were of unicorn horn and were enchanted with grooming spells. And her ensuite had not tiles but brown and cream Portland stone and a corner bath of alabaster. It had originally had gold taps too but Zajala had declared them tacky; and Lucius had agreed. His children were busy occupying long unused guest quarters and he revelled in having them used and being decorated to the tastes of those old enough to choose for themselves; and Zajala's recent interest in the arts and crafts movement was very suitable to a wizarding household though he did joke that there were very few paintings by the Pre-Raphaelites he would put up with in his house even if they had influenced William Morris and his ilk since all the women looked as if they needed a good laxative potion. Zajala agreed; but the treatment of her wardrobe doors managed to be less lugubrious than was commonly the case of such. And it was DIFFERENT to the aggressively Art Deco atmosphere in Genavka and Griselen's room.

Or the careful reconstruction of Labyrinth-meets-Hans Rudi Geiger in Gennar's.

The part fey cousins did not know this; but they did know that they were awed to be sleeping in a folding bed in such a precious room and to be staying in such a place as Malfoy Manor at all.

"Wish our mums had met Mr Malfoy and wowed him like Madam Tanjela Malfoy did" sighed Zephyra. "I bet if he loved a woman he wouldn't care that she'd had to be a whore."

"He is rather splendid that way" said Storm. "But WE have a chance to change things; and I'm going to ask if we can't join the society for marginalised women too."

oOoOo

Narcissa was delighted to have some new recruits; and suggested they get together with Erica and with Meliandra Bulstrode who were talking about setting up a junior branch in Hogwarts.

"Brilliant!" said Erica, when Narcissa brought Storm and Zephyra over to her to suggest it. "We thought we'd get the kids doing something practical you know; apart from the fact that some kids have parents scraping their last knut together to send them, there's nothing like a little personal interest both to make the Hogwarts kids feel involved and to show to others we really DO care; you got a bit lucky with strong minded mums who insisted you get yourselves a better life but not everyone has that as a background; and there's the kids who've had abuse from an early age from fathers and stepfathers and other stray relations and so on and who run away and usually end up taking a pittance for the same old abuse from strangers. The mums are setting up a hostel for runaway girls; and we thought if we got those who can knit and crochet to make warm blankets and those who sew to make patchwork quilts it's all something to add a bit of colour and the thought that someone's been to the trouble to make it. Any idiot can buy loads of serviceable bed linen and it's so BORING! And too we can knit and sew baby things for the poor kids who come in pregnant; 'cos there's going to be some."

"Yes; and if our mums and the other girls hadn't stuck up for us we might have been some of them" said Storm.

"Are you actually at risk?" asked Meliandra sharply.

"Only in the holidays" said Zephyra "And we're not quite sixteen and the owner and the madam are scared of incurring the wrath of Mr Longbottom and the Malfoy twins if he lets us be used under age."

"You're coming home to us for the hols from now on then" said Zajala "I'll ask daddy to sort you out a room of your own; and your mums can come to stay rather than have you put at risk. HOW I hate these creeps; but I am NOT getting involved in social work other than peripherally; I'll sew all right but I want to turn my back on being poor. I promised myself I'd never go down Umbrous Alley ever again when we moved in here."

"I can dig that" said Zephyra as Storm looked shocked. "Thanks for sewing for people; and caring about us. Your dad might not want us here, you know; might prefer that we go to this hostel for the hols and that would be fine, you know."

"Oh dad goes out of his way for our friends" said Zajala. "Acksherly, if your mums are tough and good at shouting at bully-boys they wouldn't make half bad house mothers for the hostel. I'll put it to Mum Narcissa."

oOoOo

Narcissa thought in an excellent idea – to be implemented WHEN she had got rid of the rest of the weevils and not before. Some things just took too much concentration and assorted marauders and new and excitable weevils were among them.

The new weevils had too met Charles Tippet's cousin Tim; they were muggleborn cousins of the Malfoys but Tim was likely to be bound for Rowan House. Charles' little brothers played now with assorted Malfoys and it was established that the next one down, Peter, would be coming up with Yulan's brother Jun and Henry Tranter's half brother Derek as well as Harry Dursley; so various small siblings were to learn something at least of their future fellows.

It may be said that of those weevils who might be toying with the idea of Marauding, both Henry Tranter and Sebastian MacMillan were not likely to be invited; they were nice enough boys but serious and conservative and as Candace said, one hesitated to use the word BORING but it did sort of jump up and ask to be used.

"I'm not entirely sure if we're exactly MARAUDER material" said Tarquin "I should say we might end up being like Gorbrin and Mel's lot, sort of supporting more than marauding as such."

"But it would be fun to have some mischief too" said Sevvy. "Who's in the running if we do maraud or at least extend the blooded?"

"Zeljeela" said Candace who felt mean at slipping out to meet with the other blooded "And I'd sort of like to blood with her anyway, or at least explain."

"Tell her about it and see what she thinks" suggested Tarquin. "Salazar and Bryony?"

"They have rather become a matched pair" grinned Sevvy. "Well they ARE sort of family; Salazar is Mum Krait's little brother. And Neesa."

"And the other real possibility is Charlie Rawlins" added Tarquin "His sister is in after all."

"We ought to get them together and talk about it" said Candace "Explain the risks and benefits and tell them that the big ones might have blue fits if we do another unscheduled one so quick but that when we're older they can blood in. Sal and Bryony are already Parselmouths."

"Of course Ragnok IS the little brother of a marauder" said Naomi "Isn't Kazrael one?"

"Yes, but Ragnok is SUCH a nosy parker and not in a good way" said Sevvy "Wants a piece of every action and doesn't know when to be tactful; and he likes the sound of his own voice even more than Tarq does."

"Quiet, you" said Tarquin, poking him.

"And we shall have to see what the new muggleborn are like" said Candace "Dad says there's two, a boy and a girl; the girl collects fairies and the boy is already friends with a goblin who's also going to come because he was good enough for a scholarship. So they'll come as a pair."

"Well we can be cautiously nice to them when we meet them and see how it goes from there" said Tarquin "Shall we gather up the other potential gang members and inaugurate them into being not-sure-if we-want-to maraud-yetters?"

"If we aren't sure we aren't marauder material" said Candace "But I AM sure we need to help out. I'll get Zeljeela, Sevvy you get Charlie because you can extract him from under Ragnok's outsize nose and you others collect the rest and I say, what about Tim Malfoy? And the Black twins?"

"Good for gang, not to bleed" said Tarquin "Let's put the inner gang together first then invite in those three."

oOoOo

The five invited to join the four already blooded at some time in the future were by and large keen.

"I've always know about it kind of" said Salazar "And my mum used blood magic to replace my stepdad's leg that had been blown off with a curse; so they're blood bonded and so are our youngest siblings. Rose is my sister but no real relation to mum or dad; and like me she was raised a bit by your parents, Sevvy, Tarq. So I guess I have a blood-right to want to do it; but I don't think I'm quite a marauder. I know it trains people like aurors – and I want to be an auror like dad, because he really is my dad like Lucius is for his step kids – but Gorbrin's not a marauder either. I say I am glad you haven't asked Ragnok; there's nothing WRONG about him but…."

"Exactly" said Tarquin.

"I never knew such things existed" said Zeljeela.

"It's how come my brother's alive" said Candace "They used a heavy blood ritual including some of my blood – the reason I'm blood-joined and Phyllis too – to do it."

"I need to talk to my dad about it" said Zeljeela "I don't think he'll object; if Professor Dumbledore is part of it, he has the deepest respect for him. But I think he needs to know; and to know that your brother is alive again. And why you have blue eyes and stuff. I guess that IS why you have blue eyes?"

"It's a bit more than that; in the whole making Seth alive business we were made into dad's children for real, right down to the blue eyes" said Candace "But they kept our dark skin; it's startling, isn't it?"

"Very" said Zeljeela. "Awfully pretty."

"I know a bit about it; Charis explained to granddad and to me too so I'd not find it a shock" said Charlie. "I guess I hoped to be part of it."

"I knew there was something and it was to do with the blood pact; but Professor Snape's book is a little difficult to understand because there are layers of hidden meaning in it" said Neesa. "I want to be gang; but I don't think I want to be a part of the blood pact; I'll keep it secret of course but you see I think it's too much responsibility. I've had to work hard to learn to be free; and I know your sister Mimi had to as well, Sevvy, and she's a marauder but I don't think I'm quite as strong as Mimi. I guess I'll do what I can to back you all up though" she added.

"Can't say fairer than that" said Candace. "Glad you'll be gang though; and of course we'll back up the Society Against Slavery too."

"And I wonder if Henry Tranter is actually going to join it at all" said Tarquin "Not because he's a silly git like his sister Michelle Makepeace is said to have been but because he's so busy looking to be immersed in academe he won't have time to get a life."

"Unlike people like Lilith who immerse themselves in academe to research japes in order to get a life" giggled Sevvy "She and the stripy marauders are all in Lucius' library giggling right now."

"If Darren Slugworthy isn't in his brother's gang I vote we poach him; Slugworthys are funny" said Candace.

"Seconded" said Tarquin "But I think he will be; he was busy telling Henry that he was a poor prune and Henry was saying that societies were for muppets."

"Yeaowch not even the MSHG?" said Salazar "Well HE'S the muppet then! I say, Bry, are you with us on this?"

"Oh yes" said Bryony "Lee wasn't invited in and he never quite liked to ask but I think if you want in and haven't been you have to prove that you ought to be by asking."

"I think that more or less sums it up" said Tarquin.

They invited Timothy and Castor and Pollux to be in a gang with them; and declared it to be the Lifemunchers gang because they had Voldemort's son in it and they were more sensible than deatheaters any day because they knew how to enjoy and consume life as it came.

oOoOo

"And where" asked Sextus of Lilith "Are we going to put the bog of quite long lasting stench?"

They had experimented with a small portion of the grounds of Malfoy Manor, well hidden by bushes in a shrubbery and had a delightfully smelly bog there.

"I think if we did it on the quidditch pitch Red Card Rolanda would either burst into tears or kill us" said Gennar, seriously "She almost had unwonted hysterics when we hid it a little bit."

"I was thinking about the main drive" said Lilith serenely "The thestrals just fly across it, and if we put in stepping stones to squelch and fart like the ones in the film I should think it won't seriously impede anyone but it ought to keep out unwanted types like men from the ministry; on account of how, with a new headmaster, they so are going to think they can poke their noses in. Anyway, that's what we say to account for ourselves and if we talk fast enough we might get off with a lesser impot."

"You wish, half pint" said Sextus.

"It's worth a try" said Lilith severely.

"We should tell Mr Filch" said Kazrael.

"You said what?" said Sextus.

"She has a point actually" said Lilith "He HATES the ministry with a passion; we tell him its an anti minister trap and he'll go for it providing he knows the stepping stones are SAFE whatever sounds they make; and we better make sure they are. Uncle Argus is a sport enough so long as you involve him, like the Pepperingye Marauders trading chores for the use of his bed. If we make ourselves useful and chat to him about it he'll be almost suggesting that we do it, to protect David – uh, Professor Fraser, on account of how HE's always been polite to Uncle Argus too and so Uncle Argus is protective of him. We can't push the casuistry over anyone more sophisticated however, not as a beforehand thing and if we did it'd spoil it as a jape because it would become virtuous and that would be immoral."

"I LOVE your definition of immoral, half pint" drawled Sextus.

"But you know what I MEAN" said Lilith.

oOoOo

Gorbrin meanwhile was having an interview with an examination board official.

"You have applied to brew Felix Felicis, not normally on the list of potions considered suitable to display NEWT level virtuosity" said Mr Hopkirk, who was the official who had been sent. "May I ask your reasoning?"

"Because I want to display my virtuosity to the best of my ability and Felix is the king of potions, sir" said Gorbrin. "And I need to know well in advance if I may do so in this trial year since it's a devilishly long brew and I'd have to begin it before Yule and Madam Hardbroom would have to be issued a ministry seal to store it."

"Have you ever made Felix young man?" asked Mr Hopkirk.

"Oh yes, Mr Hopkirk" said Gorbrin. "The first time I did it I did not know it was illegal to brew it underage; before I started school, when a man brought me the ingredients and asked if I could. It's straightforward enough if you are careful and methodical so I said yes; and I got the droplets leaping like goldfish before I decanted. I later heard he was arrested for trying to involve himself in match fixing and I know I should have come forward; but it was when my mum was being persecuted by the murderer Samuel Block and I was afraid if I was put in prison for brewing it she wouldn't have any support. I know NOW that as I was unaware it was to be used illegally I would have been held blameless, especially as I did not know about the age restriction; though that IS to prevent anyone unknowingly buying improperly made Felix made by a sloppy kid working in an apothecary shop and Mr Harding DID know I was just a kid."

"Harding? Damn it boy, the Felix that was confiscated from him was remarkably good quality – and you weren't even at SCHOOL?"

"Potioneering comes easily to me, sir" said Gorbrin "I regret losing Professor Snape to Prince Peak; Madam Hardbroom is competent enough but he's – well, special. I read every word he publishes and I experiment for myself too. I worked on an arithmantic improvement of the stirring to Amortentia to stop it getting more virulent with age which I'm hoping to publish when I have a proven level of competency in having a NEWT. I also helped brew Felix to pass out to those running security over the Celebrations that Voldy is Mouldy because with so many people passing through, Professor Dumbledore deemed it a sensible precaution. And both days went with a swing."

"Did you take any?"

Gorbrin looked surprised.

"No sir; I didn't need any, I wasn't involved in more than general prefect work, showing people around and generally being on hand to be helpful. It was the staff and security trolls who needed it; not us kids."

"I never yet came on a potioneer who wasn't tempted to try it" said Hopkirk.

"Oh I was tempted, sir; extremely. But temptation is there for the strong to resist" said Gorbrin "This Professor Snape has always taught us."

"A remarkable man" said Hopkirk. "Very well, as you have brewed Felix before I will grant you a licence to brew it for your exam potion; if it passes beyond 'E' grade that will also count as a Ministry Certificate and Licence to brew and sell Felix as you please."

"A handy side effect" said Gorbrin "And not one to take lightly; there are too many Felix Fiends to be ready to brew it without good cause."

"And what do you know about Felix Fiends?"

"A great deal more than I'd like" sighed Gorbrin "To abuse the king of potions seems so sick that I find it hard to come to terms with; and even more with the idea that some people substitute ingredients for cheaper ones deliberately to make false felix just because fools like the buzz from it; if they want buzz I say let them go out and fight a few dark wizards; that's a bit more of a thrill than most and at least it's useful. Though I rather fancy that Hogwarts and Prince Peak between us have significantly reduced the available stock of dark wizards" he added dryly.

"THAT was a dig at the ministry if you like" said Hopkirk "No my boy, I don't take offence; I don't like old women who vacillate and prevaricate pusillanimously either – I say, that was almost worthy of Snape" he added.

Gorbrin laughed.

"I've never been on the receiving end of his rough tongue but he IS entertaining when in full flow. The best one I recall was aimed at – well never mind who it was – and went 'the feculent fetors of your fruitlessly fervid fumblings fill me with foreboding'. One of his best bits of alliteration yet I believe."

Hopkirk laughed.

"One of his better ones; I never came much into contact with him at school though we were in the same year. He never liked Ravenclaws."

"Probably because most Ravenclaw girls who aren't total swots are dippy articles who giggle when he's trying to teach Amortentia" said Gorbrin. "I have heard stories" he added darkly. "And the only reason we never had trouble in OUR year is that the only three female Ravers aren't taking potions to NEWT. Not that PEARL would giggle but she's an accredited swot like the rest of us."

"Interesting insight" sighed Hopkirk "There ARE two kinds of Ravenclaw I'm afraid; the serious scholars and the ones who think they're the universe's gift to mankind."

"Well, Slytherin house improved; we only have a minority who are bullies and creeps" said Gorbrin "We can hope Ravenclaw will do likewise; especially" and he winked "Now one of my little sisters is in the house and Malfoys are on the case."

Hopkirk grinned.

"Well Lucius is a lot lighter these days; and if Slytherin house has only the occasional bully it is a vast improvement. They used to run in gangs, and the little kids joining the gangs to avoid being bullied so they all got indoctrinated into the ethos of bullying; well, best of luck with your Felix. You are going to have to let the ministry know when you are about to decant; for YOUR protection an extra watcher will be assigned to make sure you cannot decant any for your own exam use; not that I believe for one moment that you would, but you know what rumour is like."

"Oh yes" said Gorbrin grimly "Those middle class deatheater types who tried to kill my mum would be ready to say that the gobbo cheat who snuck into Hogwarts because his mother whored her way into Lucius Malfoy's bed would stop at nothing. I have no illusions and I welcome the extra watcher; and I should be glad too to have someone cast Scarpin's Revellaspell before each of my exams to prove I'm not under the influence of any potion."

"I can arrange that too, Mr Malfoy; an excellent precaution" said Hopkirk soberly. "A shame that it IS necessary but I do take your point. Dirty business that attack; though I understand your brother and other aurors soon had it in hand?"

"Yes, they rounded all the creeps up; but it leaves a sour taste in the mouth that one should be hated for being happy and successful rather than for doing something deliberately to harm someone" said Gorbrin. "All because they feared losing jobs to goblins who were cleverer than them; instead of putting their efforts into becoming better."

"Too many people are afraid of work" said Hopkirk "And though I applaud the way more schools are being set up, I have to say I somehow think that there will still be, even if there were enough schools for everyone in the wizarding community, plenty who would leave school with no qualifications, not because they are too stupid to get them but because they can't be bothered to put in the work."

"Yes; the ones that Severus Snape calls the wilfully pig-ignorant" said Gorbrin "When you think of the amount of library work sundry of my little siblings are putting in right now with the sole intent of causing mayhem with japes, and are absorbing knowledge way beyond their age level at the same time yet having the time of their lives it makes you wonder that there are those who can not only avoid working to gain knowledge but who actually even fail to absorb knowledge that is presented on a plate because they don't assimilate, let alone acquire and retain."

"What was that? Assimilate, acquire and retain?"

"It's a Marauder thing – the Marauders of nowadays are a lot different from the original Marauders. They cut japes but to hone skills to fight dark wizards and to keep themselves on their toes. They go out of their way to help people too. The New Marauders – all of whom teach in the Free School in London – wrote and distributed revision notes so good that the school had them printed to hand out to each successive OWL year. And they reckon that if you took in what was taught over the syllabus you don't hardly need revision because you assimilate, acquire and retain. And then revision is no more than reacquisition of what should be inside the head already."

"It's true of course" said Randall Hopkirk "Well, again I wish you luck and that's with all your exams; and no doubt you'll irritate plenty of people just by existing however well you do; I hear you plan to be an auror and that really is sort of one of the functions of an auror, to irritate lawbreakers by existing."

Gorbrin grinned as he bowed Mr Hopkirk out. It would be nice if it WERE that simple; but the man who never made enemies never made anything. And he did not mind making enemies by being a Malfoy and ruining those who were in need of it for being unfair employers or just egregious creeps; nor by refusing to be bribed to look aside over any infraction. It was just hard to be hated merely for his race, the one thing he could not help. And nor would he; because he had his duty to carry on Lucius' work and to be the first ever Goblin Auror to show the way clear that anyone could aspire to anything.

And if he had people trying to kill him because he was a goblin and they were such little people, he'd be a poor sort of auror if he could not deal with such small time evil doers.

oOoOo

And shortly after this, while Gorbrin was sticking his nose in to the work Erica and her friend Randolph from Prince Peak were doing on art as an exam subject, a message came from Jade, and Lucius and Charlotte went haring off to Germany. They returned with a small half goblin girl called Veronika, already an accomplished artist, and a babe of two who had not been given a name; and Lucius had decided on Melusina as she was bound to be Slytherin and it was the prettiest girl's name he knew with snake associations, being the name of a fey creature who had been turned into a snake for half the day for her transgressions. They got to meet their new little sisters; and Erica drew Veronika into the artistic group.

"Just think little new sister of mine" said Erica "when you're big enough for school, you'll be studying art out of the book we're all writing here; and if you have any unusual talents, why they might end up in later editions as suggestions as ways to use art!"

"Like drawing cakes and sweeties to lift out of the page to eat?" said Veronika

"Show me?" said Erica, giving her coloured pencils.

Veronika produced a cake from the picture she drew of one.

Erica tasted it.

"It's stale" she said. "But how terribly clever!" she added hurriedly, not wanting to seem to criticise.

"Probably the only taste of cake she's had" said Gorbrin dryly. "Our little sister will learn to refine her taste in cakes; it's a form of summoning so complex only Lilith managed it at that age. It isn't real food of course; because when you summon something it doesn't stay, little one."

Veronika nodded.

"And when you get the empty feeling back, the picture comes back on the page and you can't lift it off again" she said "But you've had the TASTE."

"Brilliant, kid!" said Randolph. "And now you'll have your ability mentioned in a book as one of the things people can do; for teachers to look for. That's something, isn't it?"

Veronika nodded dubiously.

It would take her a little while to learn to be loved; it would take her a little while, reflected Gorbrin, to learn to have enough to eat. And she could turn the most complex of summoning spells at her age; so long as it was related to her art. That was to be nurtured!

oOoOo

And then they all took part in a ritual while Lucius and Draco made Veronika and Melusina truly his and Charlotte's children by chanting in Finnish; despite Veronika being half goblin. She now had the perfect Malfoy skin and violet eyes; and her hair was a shade or two paler. It would make up for an abysmal start in life with a whore for a mother who had, poor woman, been murdered; and little Melusina would never really remember anything but being a Malfoy. Veronika would be Erica's special sister for her art; as Zajala was in many ways his special little sister and Cosmo was his special little brother.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Albus Dumbledore executed a little jig step as he entered Diagon Alley with Seth and Candace.

"Dad?" said Candace.

"He's got the jollies over being just a parent and not having any responsibility for any of the children here and he's wondering if he can drop the fluorescent fart jinx on those parents he has always detested and never felt he could quite do anything to" said Seth.

"My boy, your perspicacity astounds me!" said Dumbledore. Seth laughed.

"I've been listening to Uncle Aberforth" he said "Who really knows you very well now he's learned not to see only the negative aspects."

"It IS good to be close to Aberforth again" said Dumbledore. "Are you going to take your money and meet up with us in Fortescue's or will you go around with us?"

Seth considered. "I don't have a lot to get, only a few new text books and extra ink and paper" he said "we all acquired several feathers from Lucius' peacocks and being pure white ones they readily took an enchantment to avoid dropping blots or misspelling words."

"Seth, are you aware that those are OWL level enchantments at all?" laughed Albus. Seth shrugged.

"Well you can't help picking stuff up when people chatter in common rooms and the MSHG" he said. "Especially if you eavesdrop on the homework of bigger people when it's interesting. I know Gamp's law and I think I know most of the exceptions too and I've a fairly good idea of the definition of assimilative correlation. I think it's also a Marauder thing" he added "Information sort of flows without it being a chore to pick it up. Though I do find charms hard and I can't get my head around ancient Greek. And as Runes is almost as important as Arithmancy that's a bit of a groan."

Albus laughed.

"If I didn't think that you meant that runes were important from a point of view of pulling japes as much as for serious work I'd worry about you becoming a prig" he said. "Well run along then and I'll see you later for ice cream while I pretend I don't know anything at all about the school."

oOoOo

"Oh Headmaster, what can you tell us about the new headmaster?" Madam Crabbe's whining voice confronted Dumbledore.

"Fnud; wibble-doo flergsnak" said Dumbledore.

"I – I BEG your pardon headmaster?" said Madam Crabbe. Walter was laughing into his hand.

"Dad isn't a headmaster; he isn't any kind of teacher any more" said Candace. "And he said he doesn't really give a lead snitch."

"Well REALLY!" said Madam Crabbe.

"Yes, really" said Candace politely dropping a little curtsey "He's sick of having to answer stupid questions from parents and he said he wasn't going to do it any more."

"I TOLD you mum" said Walter. "And I also told you I know loads about Professor Fraser."

"It's just so WORRYING to have a headmaster who's only a mudblood" said Madam Crabbe. Walter went crimson.

"MUM! How can you be so EMBARRASSING?" he cried then continued in a strained whisper "David Fraser is one of the greatest wizards of our time; it's a PRIVILEGE to have him as our head – he fought Voldemort and gave blood for Harry Potter and he's a triwizard champion and he was third in a duelling contest against Durmstrang – all those pure bloods – when he was only fifteen years old and they were all upper sixth types and he's an international referee and he refereed this last world cup and he's one of the top Geomancers in the whole world and you talk about irrelevancies like blood status as if anyone who knew anything considers it in the least significant; as has been proven by the laws of heritance and how wizarding ability passes through the generations. Crumbs, mum, do stop sounding like an uneducated half troll from the wrong end of Umbrous Alley; you'll show me up in front of all my school friends and then you know I shan't get invited to Malfoy manor any more" he added to this impassioned whisper cunningly.

"You should not talk to your mother like that, Walter" said Dumbledore.

Walter bowed deeply to the head.

"My apologies sir; my apologies mum" he said "But slightly qualified apologies because you should not speak so about Professor Fraser who is a great man" he added. "And Professor Dumbledore would not have handed the school to anyone he did NOT think suitable."

"Quite" said Dumbledore "And now I AM going to refuse to answer any more of your remarkably stupid questions Astrilda; dear me, you always were a tiresomely obtuse little girl at school, I'm so sorry you haven't grown out of it. Blooht-fardle wangepoop, siddle" he added, politely, lifting his hat to her.

"He's gone senile" said Astrilda Crabbe.

"Personally, senile or no, I still back Albus Dumbledore to take on and whip any dark wizard with his eyes shut and one hand tied behind his back" said Walter dryly.

Dumbledore was chuckling wickedly.

oOoOo

"He did WHAT? And I missed it? Doxy droppings!" said Seth when Walter caught up with him. "Good for dad; it's one way to drive home that he just ISN'T headmaster any more; and Candace has the Chutzpah to deal with it too. Or he wouldn't do it of course" he added. "I'm sorry Walter but your mum sounds like she is the END."

"Grew up in a deatheater recruiting house while the first wizarding war was on I guess" sighed Walter "Her and Dad both; still, with decent friends I don't hardly have to go home until they actually notice I've been away for almost a year. And they're eager for me to suck up to Malfoys and Crouches so that's all cool."

"Not very nice for you to have to live a lie though; I should think it hurts your conscience" said Seth.

"Well it used to, but I found out telling the truth too much might get other people hurt because they'd want to stop me having anything to do with people like Kreszi Kordach; which I am even though she's not one of us" said Walter "And when I mentioned her in passing, dad said that if those wretched criminal gobbo brats were trying to encroach on me he could see that something happened to them; and I had to say that she hadn't spoken much to me; I don't think that it's even penetrated that Kordach is actually now part of the effective nobility because they don't want me to have anything to do with the Malfoys in our year because they're goblins. It's awful; but if I say anything they start accusing them of using goblin brainwashing tricks on their poor vulnerable little darling who is still recovering from his nasty experience. And I do wonder if they think that being in St Mungo's actually being cured is more the nasty experience than having been a little monster from the curse in the first place" he added bitterly.

"Just remember, if it gets too much you can ask the head for sanctuary; to be assigned a guardian if you feel under pressure from your parents" said Seth "And he can place you in the care of your brother. And if they talk about mudbloods kidnapping you, because of Professor Fraser's blood status, that's a nice little lawsuit and even if Professor Fraser doesn't revel in lawsuits like Lucius does he's not afraid of them."

"And it would come to that" said Walter "It seems wrong to let one's parents be hit by a law suit; but I AM tempted. They SHOULD have realised sooner that I was a monster; instead of trying to laugh it off. Which makes them pretty inadequate parents."

Seth gave his shoulder a squeeze; it was all he could do. And he intended to advise Walter to ask for sanctuary before he was studying for OWLs because he would need a calm atmosphere for that and knew that Walter's parents would not provide it!

"I say you boys, I heard one of you say something about criminal gobbo brats and I don't like the tone bah heck" said a young goblin boy who was with a brown skinned human; he spoke in the tones of Yorkshire.

Walter turned.

"As it happens, small person, I was quoting someone to illustrate views of which I disapprove; and it was a private conversation not to be usurped by weevilous first years" he said.

"Oh!" said the goblin youth "Then I apologise; shake?" he thrust out a hand.

Walter shook without thinking about it; he was used to goblins.

There was a shriek.

"Walter baby! Did it TOUCH you?"

Walter sighed and cast up his eyes.

"Madam Crabbe" said Seth "If you don't want to be reported for inflammatory comment likely to cause an affray, I suggest you keep your views to yourself and stop trying to spoil Walter's chances of getting on at school with civilised people. You may not have received a school education yourself to learn that there are standards to which decent people aspire; but Walter is learning this."

"And who do you think YOU are?" demanded Astrilda Crabbe "How DARE you say I'm not educated?"

"I am Seth Dumbledore; and I KNOW that you are an egregious racist who would not dare speak so if my father was here not me" said Seth, clenching his fists "But know that I will follow my father's policies of equality with as much zeal as he has; even giving fair trial to the terminally stupid. As to daring to say that you are uneducated, I have only usually heard such bigotry from those who have received most of their education from the pages of such rags as the 'Daily Prophet' or from the more stupid and ill educated muggles whose views are promulgated by their own rags of lower end newspapers. You fly in the face of public opinion of those who have any meaning in the society you purport to hang on the edges of and make Walter miserable. He has lived down the curse YOU did not see fit to have cured in the years before he went to school; do NOT visit your guilt feelings about that failure on the rest of the world around Walter. He is my friend and I will stand up for him and his right to choose such friends as he wishes; and if you are not careful he'll be being raised in the orphanage at Hogwarts because your foolish and intemperate tongue ends you up in prison; especially if you DO actually threaten anyone. Excuse me; I wish to take these weevils where the air is cleaner" and he grabbed the youngsters by an arm each and marched them away while Madam Crabbe had hysterics. "Sorry Walter; but I couldn't let it pass" he said.

"I think it's time I found David Fraser to beg that sanctuary" said Walter gloomily.

"Come with us for the time being; we're staying with the Frasers in London" said Seth.

Walter sighed with relief and went along.

"So small verminous ones, what are your names?" he asked.

"Is that a normal way to address new ones or is it because of race?" asked the human child.

"It's a normal way to address new oiks from those of us who are lordly warts – second years – or above" said Seth. "Now we're in the second we get to sit on those in the first; a heady experience of incipient megalomania I can tell you!"

The human boy grinned.

"I like you" he said "Dumbledore? Like the older wizard who came to see me?"

"My dad" said Seth. "Long story; none of your business unless you get to be close in which case you'll hear it all. I have two little sisters and a little brother and all the wizarding world knows that he was once a dark wizard with Odessa who dad reduced to being a baby in a duel because he was nicer that way and then adopted him and made him truly of his heritance with a ritual."

"Crumbs!" said the boy "I'm Sebastian Rice by the way; this is my friend Bailey – I mean Balduk. He has a human name for school, for muggle school that is."

"Oh yes, you're the one who builds fireworks" said Seth "Dad was chortling about not having to live through THAT again now he's retired."

"Again?" asked Balduk.

"The Weasley twins; they run a joke shop now and no you CAN'T go there until your poor parents have made sure you have everything. I'd better park you on another reliable weevil" said Seth. "Lucius is around somewhere with Timothy; I'd dump you on dad and Candace but he's having such fun talking balderdash to the idiots who ask him stupid questions, because he's refusing utterly to be headmastery at all; and why should he? He's been head for fifty years and he's owed time off for good behaviour. There are Snapes around somewhere too and Severus has done it all so many times with extraneous weevils attached he won't notice a spare couple. And there's Lucius anyway; and he's Mr Malfoy to you until and unless he invites you to call him Lucius and I don't in public because it's an adult sort of privilege, only half my friends are related to him. Mr Malfoy sir, can I attach a couple of weevils to you and Tim?"

"With permanent sticking charms or merely with safety pins?" said Lucius sardonically "Pleased to meet you both; have you parents anywhere? Because if so I ought to see them so they know I'm not kidnapping you."

"Please sir, my mum brought us both" said Balduk "And she's seeing to the stuff for my big brother; he's three years older than me but he's going into the second."

"Oh we'll sort that out, Mr Malfoy" said Walter "He'll like to know I'm below my chronological age too; and he'll be with us. Does he look like you Balduk?"

"Yes he does; but – you mean, you can tell goblins apart?"

"Crumbs, weevil, do I look dim?" said Walter.

They left the younger boys with Timothy informing Sebastian that he was going to have to be shortened to Seb as they already knew one Sebastian in the year and one could NOT imagine shortening Sebastian MacMillan because he was just that sort.

Seb readily agreed; and was promptly introduced to the idea of the MSHG and the Lifemunchers, which had to be explained, to Lucius' amusement, not having heard the explanation before. And as he said when they met up with Severus and his selection of weevils showed that the kids had more sense than any deatheater in that they knew the best way to approach life was to seize each moment and enjoy it.

Rudatz gan Zelbukek was agreeably surprised by how the shopkeepers did not turn a hair to be outfitting a goblin boy; and too by the number of goblins carrying school kit. The two identical goblin girls in designer robes exchanging amicable insults with the identical goblin boys in poorer garb were a revelation; especially as there appeared to be a running argument not between the two sets of twins but between one of each of them against the other of each of them. They appeared to be under the auspices of a well dressed witch who boxed ears impartially when wands came out and hustled them onward with the exhortation that they could play on the train and NOT before.

He looked nervously as two human boys approached him, one even darker of skin than Balduk's friend.

"Rudatz? you look enough like Balduk to make it a good guess" said the white child "I'm Walter Crabbe; this is my friend Seth Dumbledore, you're to be in our year, I hear; and you, like me, held down by circumstance" he held out a hand.

Cautiously Rudatz shook it.

"You've been held down too? May I ask why?" he asked.

"I was subject to a curse in a book as a child; it wasn't noticed until I went to school. I spent nearly two years in St Mungos under curse breakers" said Walter. "If they knew as much as top chanters like Severus Snape I guess it could have been sorted sooner; but that's the way it is. I'm lucky to have made some good friends in my year; I hope you do too. You'll join the MSHG?"

Once that was explained, Rudatz nodded eagerly.

"Dad always said nothing was achieved by fighting for it; but I guess there are some things worth fighting over" he said.

"I guess what your dad meant was that goblin rights never got furthered by violence; which is true" said Seth "Like Gorbrin's real dad always said; he was murdered. Have you heard of Tobak?"

"Ee, lad, who hasn't?" said Rudatz "And the lad ready to testify! Is it true he was adopted by Mr Malfoy?"

"Yes; and he's head of Slytherin House this year too" said Seth "And strongly tipped to be Head Boy actually. Mr Malfoy's awfully proud of him; Gorbrin wants to be an auror like Draco. Don't for a moment think that Mr Malfoy married his mum for politics; I've stayed at Malfoy manor enough to see he adores all his women. I left your brother and his friend with Mr Malfoy and his this year's offering to the weevils – first years – which is Timothy, who's an adopted one being an orphaned cousin, not that Mr Malfoy makes any difference there either. And I say, don't piss off Gorbrin because he's one of the most creative prefects over setting impots. He caught us casting the fluorescent fart jinx on some stuck up gits at the celebration do and had us cleaning all the temporary toilets" he added with feeling "Fortunately with eight of us it wasn't so bad but oh dear, the habits of SOME of the visitors left a lot to be desired; we were jolly glad we'd learned the vanishing charm long since to deal with dust in case we found any secret passages."

"There are secret passages?"

"Heaps! At least so they say; elderly types think it's fairer to leave us to find them for ourselves and I kind of take the point" said Seth. "is that your mum?"

"Yes; Mum, these boys have come to tell us that Balduk and Sebastian have been taken under the wing of a wizard with a son" said Rudatz.

"Oh! That's most kind of him; I hope they didn't pester" said the harrased looking goblin woman.

"Oh Mr Malfoy is quite pleased to only have had one of his own this year; the older ones are mostly doing their own rounds except Zelinn and Zakala – they're in our year – with Madam Narcissa Malfoy" said Walter "At least I saw them all together bickering with the Nork twins; both sets of twins are split, one in Ravenclaw and one in Gryffindor. And all the Malfoys shouting and cheering that they've infiltrated Ravenclaw; but that's Malfoys for you. Sort of many headed and mutable."

"Now that was almost as caddish and snide a comment as any Malfoy or Snape might make" said Seth.

"Thank you" said Walter "Shall we take Rudatz round with us, Madam Zelbukek? We know what we're getting; and it isn't an earthly use opting for divination when there's something interesting like metalwork on offer especially as I've heard that goblins do divination about as well as humans do elf magic."

"Oh I want to do metalwork; I've been working with a muggle who makes tourist stuff" said Rudatz.

"Good-oh" said Walter "It's good fun and it does help if you have done some; Professor Jorbal is most particular about safety procedures and of course he is right to be; but he'll be pleased you've had a bit of a grounding even if it isn't with the enchantment aspect. C'mon; loads to do, so little time."

"If you kids didn't bellyache on all the time you'd shop quicker for not over exercising your tongues" said the tall, dark scarred man with an elf child and a human child in tow

"Well, sir, that's a bit rich since the only reason YOU didn't rabbit on when you were a wart was because you were arguing with some potioneering text" said Seth.

Severus grinned.

"Fair point, actually. See you boys around some time; TRY not to get any of the new ones into too much trouble; not that it's any of my business" he added.

They grinned at him.

"He looks stern; is he a professor?" whispered Rudatz.

"Yes but not at Hogwarts; he's a headmaster of his own school but he doesn't think it's fair for his own kids to have to be at school with him" said Seth. "THAT is the famous Professor Snape."

"Shite! I've heard of him, think on!" said Rudatz.

They passed on their way and Rudatz got a very full education on school, houses, marauders, and dippy Ravenclaws, not that any of their friends in Ravenclaw were dippy nor any Malfoy or Nork therein.

oOoOo

"Hey, Mimiwobbles! Stop eating Darryl's face a minute and come and give this sorry excuse of a weevil the benefit of your 'scrutiatingly Snapish wit!" Bella's voice interrupted a passionate kiss; Darryl might be going off to Prince Peak to complete his last year but he and Mimi were shopping together; or rather, Mimi was shopping for her NEWT books and Darryl was replacing the odd essentials.

Mimi strolled over to Bella, who was talking to – or rather, being Bella, at – a small girl with rather plain features.

"'Sup, Oh best beloved?" she asked.

"This egregious brat has just passed the opinion that I, a lordly prefect, can't possibly be telling the truth that an elf can talk straight and gain as many OWLs as you have."

Mimi regarded the small girl.

"Well it LOOKS like a weevil; and it SMELLS like a weevil; but sounds like it thinks like a troll."

"That's rude to poor Trurk" opined Bella.

"No not really; Trurk IS limited poor fellow" said Mimi. "Sorry excuse for a verminous first year, you have some very wrong ideas; because if you think that Professor Dumbledore, and now Professor Fraser, would open the doors of Hogwarts to those who are likely to fail, you are much mistaken; except the likes of the traditional oiks that he can't get rid of."

The girl looked faintly thoughtful.

"But you're not a house elf" she said "You're much bigger; you're half human."

"Actually, no" said Mimi "I have this form like an animagus form; for any number of reasons. One, it's convenient not being stepped on; two I get to snog my boyfriend more conveniently; three it's not actually all that pretty looking like a small child with an outsize head and four, the form elves have that people are used to was part of the curse the high fey laid on them along with the curse to obey and to self punish. And I kind of see that as a form of slavery and object to it."

"OH!" said the child "I don't know what these high fey are but I guess that's sort of reasonable; how many OWLs DO you have?"

"Only ten and not all at 'O'" said Mimi calmly "I'm not as academic as my sister Jade – she and Lydia and me and sundry others are adopted – because she took twelve OWLs and eight NEWTs and she's Triwizard champion. She's my second cleverest sister; the cleverest really is mum and dad's kid and it shows and she's in the third this year and is the same age as you weevils of first years and she already has seven OWLs and a NEWT. You'll be with my half brother Sevvy who is pure elf too and you'd better get over any racism because I expect he'll jinx you into a ball if you don't."

The child was counting the number of books Mimi was carrying.

"You really are taking seven NEWTs then? But I've always been told – and seen from the one elf I know – that elves are stupid. And Goblins too."

"You've been told wrong then" said Mimi "And if you're wondering why, you don't have to be stupid to be ignorant; and a lot of goblins are ignorant for lack of opportunity as are those elves held in slavery because slaves don't get a lot of opportunity to learn. And those who promulgate such ideas are also ignorant; and I'm afraid, my good kid, those who don't want to learn make the ordinarily ignorant look like blazing beacons of education. Unfortunately nine people out of ten are moronic and half of the rest strive to attain imbecility."

"You can tell she's a Snape" said Bella conversationally to the weevil "Knowledge Snob."

Mimi grinned.

"Have you lost a parent small one?" she asked.

"Our parents didn't come; they said Nigel could look after me as he's in the fifth" said the child. "Only he's gone off to get his own kit."

The girls exchanged looks.

"It's a Baddock? And I was beginning to think it was sentient" said Mimi.

The child got very red.

"You have NO call to make generalities and be rotten even if my brothers aren't always very nice!" she said.

"Quite true, small one" said Bella "Any more than YOU have the right to make generalities about elves or goblins; though if you have met a limited elf that gives you some excuse; and I hope OUR generalities made the message as plain as anything else. Your brothers are rotten; though Leonard and Nigel have kept fairly low profiles after Malcolm was expelled so dramatically."

"He was expelled? I thought he died before he could complete his NEWTs" said the child.

"He was mauled by a hippogriff AFTER he was expelled" said Mimi "For what he tried to do to my sister Jade. She was a first year and into pranks – as first years are – and he, a big boy in the upper sixth, decided to do just about the worst bullying I ever heard of in any school not excluding Durmstrang; and as Jade's been there for extra NEWTs with a different slant and to teach I know more than most about it. He used a potion to turn himself into looking like dad – who was teaching at Hogwarts at the time – to flog her. Which is about the worst betrayal of a kid you can do, making it seem that her own parent is behaving harshly. And for Jade, who came from an orphanage where flogging was common before dad adopted her when she was seven, that would have been even more ghastly. Only you've heard Bella comment on Snapes; and Malcolm Baddock couldn't TALK like our dad whatever he looked like so Jade set up a holler and got rescued by her REAL dad and sundry others. And s'pose she hadn't been that bright? Or he'd done it to a kid and just made them think it was their house head? What's the kid going to do, say 'did you really flog me professor?' Not hardly. That's why he was expelled."

"WELL! I heard he wasn't popular but I didn't know he was a sicko" said the child. "I was only five and all I remember of him was that I used to hide when he came home for the holidays; and he came home early and I had to go to St Mungo's because he busted my shoulder so badly."

"Look here kid, do you want to break the cycle of bullying and learn how not to copy your brothers and grow up someone other people DON'T hate and fear?" said Bella seriously.

"Of COURSE I do" said the child "And I say, I do have a name, it's Clymene."

"All right Clymene; we'll park you on some other decent weevils like Mimi's brothers and leave them to show you about" said Bella "Don't be scared of Professor Snape; he looks a bit grim but he's the kindest if you aren't out to be obnoxious."

oOoOo

Severus listened to the explanation that was at least less garbled than the Belle Marauders had been wont to produce – though having only two of them at any one time was an advantage – and nodded to Clymene.

"All right Miss Baddock; I know that it can be hard to be tarred with the brush of others; I've been there myself" he said "Sevvy and Tarquin can fill you in on the ins and outs of the MSHG and its advantages; and if you impress them doubtless they'll ask you to run with their set."

The boys regarded Clymene.

"We have heard all about your brothers you know" said Sevvy.

"We'll try not to let it prejudice us" said Tarquin.

"Would you be loyal to fellow weevils in the face of adversity from big ones even your brother?" asked Sevvy.

"I can't get over you and your sister not talking about yourselves in the third person and using long words" said Clymene. "I – I guess I would stick by friends if I made any only one is supposed to be loyal to family."

The boys exchanged looks.

"She'll do" said Sevvy "Got the right instincts of loyalty. Only see, Clymene – heavens what a monicker – loyalty goes two ways. D'you reckon Nigel would stand up for you, defend you from bullies and stop other kids hurting you?"

"No; he'd be more likely to snigger" said Clymene.

"Well, you see, a proper brother leaps in to help a kid sister – or brother – regardless of if they're going to get hurt too" said Sevvy. "Does that help your loyalty issues? Because if you want to run with our gang you'd have to be as loyal to us as we'd expect to be to you."

"I see" said Clymene "I guess I want to stand up for myself and if others will stand with me, standing with them is sort of right and proper."

"We'll introduce you to the others then" said Tarquin "We call ourselves the Lifemunchers; 'cos we enjoy life not suffer from it the way deatheaters did. And dad had to pretend to be a deatheater so we've heard a lot about it."

"THAT Severus Snape?" said Clymene.

"The one and only" sad Sevvy "And I say Tarq, we've put our foots in it because you're up as Prince not Snape; not that Snapes AREN'T Princes because they are. Clymene, will you keep a secret? It's not a HARMFUL secret but it makes life more comfy for dad."

"All right; if I think it's okay to" said Clymene "But I won't promise until I know."

"Well, dad is also Severin Prince but he doesn't like people knowing because Council Members get pestered; and Tarquin is born of the line Prince because he's dad's cousin and is adopted like me, only he's being Severin Prince's son for school and we're supposed to be acting cousins which we are for real only for real too we're brothers because we grew up that way" said Sevvy.

"THAT was a twisted way of putting it IF you like" said Tarquin.

"Well how else IS there to put it?" demanded Sevvy "I think of you as a brother because we had you with us since we were about four; when dad got custody of you from your rotten father. It's sort of a muddled relationship so how can you describe it in any but a muddled sort of way?"

"You know, I hate it when your logic is so excruciatingly logical and it's still all so wrong" said Tarquin. "We grew up together; I'm dad's cousin really; but we're making like I'm a cousin officially for school because then Dad can be Severin Prince and have an heir so I shall have to serve on the council if I can't palm it off onto Romulus – one of our biggest brothers, he's well cool and he teaches Potions at the free school – so it's sort of a secret at school except to those who know us well."

"Does the headmaster know?" asked Clymene.

"Of COURSE he does!" said Tarquin "He was dad's ward 'cos he came from the same orphanage as Jade and Lydia; only he remembered his parents and didn't want to be adopted. But he might almost as well be our brother which is sort of awkward but not as awkward as having a dad for a headmaster; and though I guess I could go to Durmstrang, they wouldn't take Sevvy 'cos they're a bit daft about non humans and nearly pure blood at that."

"Your dad is pretty good at rearing Triwizard champions then" said Clymene.

They grinned.

"And we're putting good money on the next one that our sister Lilith manages to circumvent the age line and gets to be the Hogwarts champion" said Sevvy. "And once she's in, she'll win; she's cleverer and more powerful than Jade, and Jade's dead cool because she is PROUD of our Lilith and doesn't resent it."

"I guess I wish I had siblings like yours even if you are only all adopted" said Clymene.

"The thing is, it isn't an ONLY adopted; we're just siblings" said Sevvy "From Grace – our oldest sister, she's married to Draco Malfoy and she's dear even though she isn't as academic as the rest of us – down to Ismenia who got born in school because our third mum was raped by her step dad. We have three mums; it's a long story but it works."

They proceeded to explain to Clymene, whose head was whirling; but she was tentatively happy. And the idea that people looked out for each other was a radical and rather marvellous one for the little girl who had only ever known any kindness from the family elf, who was, as she confessed to Sevvy, so limited that she based her ideas of elves on her as well as what her parents said.

Clymene was wishing hard that she was a Snape.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

David had taken Walter's written deposition that although he did not think he need fear his parents for himself, their attitudes to his friends caused him undue stress since he dared not mention any friends that had not the blood status his parents considered suitable for fear of actual bodily harm to his friends especially those who were not human. Walter added that he believed that his parents had preferred him when he was still cursed and wondered if the book that had caused his troubles had affected them too. Then he set off for the train in company with Seth and Candace to meet up with the rest of their crowd once David had got the protection order proceedings going.

Clymene was firmly with the other Lifemunchers; when restored to her brother in Diagon Alley he had hit her so hard she had fallen over for not waiting for him to finish his shopping; and when Sevvy and Tarquin had jinxed him quite literally into a ball with green tentacles Severus told the boy coldly that had he NOT taken charge of the child, by the time Mr Baddock had finished his own dilatory maunderings it would have been too late to acquire all HER essential kit; and if he wanted to hit someone for taking pity on her, the boy should hit HIM. He undid the curses – as he said if only to ensure that Clymene got safely back to their parents – and invited Nigel to take a swing at him.

Nigel knew very well just exactly who Professor Snape was even though he had gone to Prince Peak before Nigel had started school; and muttered that he had no desire to do so. Severus pointed out that this was because he was such a little girl that he could only hit little girls like his brother Malcolm; and that he would warn David Fraser to keep an eye on him. Nigel paled. He had managed to get through school so far without getting into serious trouble and he tried to make excuse that as Clymene was his sister he had the right to discipline her. Severus pointedly examined the bruise on the child's face already coming out; and proceeded to chant a cure, mending the broken cheek bone too – as he told Nigel icily. Clymene would do just about anything for someone who actually healed people that weren't even his own children and for Tarquin and Sevvy who stood up for her; and on the way home, when Nigel threatened to tell their parents she was an elf lover she retorted that she might just tell them that an eleven year old elf and his cousin had bested him. They said nothing of the trip to their parents.

And on the train she was safe in a haven with people who would help her not be a bully and not to be bullied; including Salazar Gaunt-Moody, who was just about the most famous boy of his age for being the son of Voldemort who had acted in the documentary.

Clymene was not soppy about famous boys; but being part of Salazar's set, and he the heir of Slytherin, was not going to do her a disservice and even her parents would consider him a good sort of person to be friends with. Clymene sighed unaware that she had thoughts very similar to those Walter Crabbe had, wondering what was wrong with her family.

oOoOo

Gorbrin was still train prefect, now proudly wearing his head of house badge; with Kevin Slugworthy as his deputy, proudly wearing his new prefect badge for being one of the fifth form prefects; having shooed young Darren on in with their luggage. He had been apprised of the problem over Walter and so stepped firmly forward when Mr and Madam Crabbe bustled up.

"Mr Crabbe, Madam Crabbe, I'm sorry but as your son has appealed for sanctuary I can't let you onto the platform to speak to him" he said.

"Get out of my way, filthy goblin trash" said Mr Crabbe.

He was immediately immobilised as he tried to push past Gorbrin; the full body bind cast wordlessly and wandlessly – though being over seventeen, Gorbrin was entitled to cast magic discreetly now.

"You will hear from my quaestor about that racist remark" said Gorbrin, smiling pleasantly "As I am an adult I am entitled to sue you myself and not have to rely on my father; ah, Harry, sent to investigate use of magic?" Harry Potter had turned up.

"Yes; the trouble we've had Alastor decided to send me as back up in case it was something serious" said Harry.

"I would be obliged if you'd take these two away" said Gorbrin "Their son is sub judice pending his sanctuary case."

"It's ridiculous! We dote on our son!" said Madam Crabbe angrily.

"To the extent" said Harry "That he fears for the safety of his goblin friends and feels he has to lie to you about them."

"Our boy has no goblin friends! He's not so lost to shame!" cried Mr Crabbe "If those filthy criminal gobbo brats try to make up to him they deserve to be punished!"

"Well I SHALL make a swell witness to have the boy placed in the custody of RESPONSIBLE guardians" said Harry. "He been giving you this sort of crap too, Mr Malfoy?"

"Yes Mr Potter; I've already explained that my quaestor would wait upon him. He didn't seem to believe me" said Gorbrin serenely "I however have acquired my father's tastes for litigation; I shall enjoy bankrupting him just for fun. Then I shall make it all over to young Walter of course, but it's the principle."

"You Malfoys!" said Harry "Well, if you would be good enough to release them – oh no, don't bother, it's a quiet time I shall just apparate them. Good luck with your NEWTs!"

"Cheers" said Gorbrin as Harry whisked the Crabbes away.

He was being regarded by several weevils who had emerged from the platform.

"WHAT do you unwholesome brats think you are about?" he demanded.

"Well Malfoy, Clymene's been told some crap, so we thought the best way for her to learn more about goblins was to see you in fully caddish Malfoy action; so we came for a grandstand seat" said Sevvy.

"You Snapes get worse every year" said Gorbrin "No, scratch that; NOBODY is as bad as Lilith. She's extremely."

"Extremely what?" asked the little girl he didn't know.

"Pick anything at random; whatever it is Lilith is extremely it" said Gorbrin "Which is why the adjective needs no modifying adverb. And if that burst of grammar lesson leaves you feeling as mystified as you look my moppet I suggest you get a Snape to explain or you'll be all washed up in Ancient Runes; and it IS rather one of the bases for higher magic. If you weevils survive even to NEWTs let alone beyond; now shoo! If any of you get left behind the train does NOT stop for you!"

They shooed; and Clymene was duly enlightened.

As Walter and Seth dumped Balduk and Seb on them too, and they met up with Candace and Zeljeela she had a first hand view of goblins her age, relatively uneducated but plainly not stupid or talking only about money; and was warned that Ragnok gan Tokar was a bit of a twerp and not to be considered typical of goblins any more than her brothers were of humans, even if calling them human might be a bit stretching of the point.

As Ragnok came in asking what they were up to while Clymene was receiving a grammar lesson and so was told this, she saw what they meant as he did NOT stay long declaring that school was soon enough for lessons.

"And if it had been something he thought he knew about he'd have tried to take over" squeaked Neesa "Because he's a meddlesome twerp."

"And I say, I've just seen a hag so let's go be friendly because she WILL be all out on a limb" said Tarquin.

"She might only be related to you Princes and Snapes" teased Salazar; and got poked.

Griselda Greenteeth was wary but pleased that she should receive overtures of support. She declined to join a gang, declaring that she had to work hard to justify her sponsor sending her; as she was sent by the first Hag through Hogwarts, Annis Shipton and her husband Gabriel Adler.

Annis and Gabriel were doing very well, publishing the 'Acme Almanac' in joint effort with Cynner and Callum Prince; and Annis was glad to sponsor another clever young hag. Griselda pledged tacit support to a gang standing for equality and hoped to be on friendly terms with them; which was better than she had hoped when her last minute application had been accepted. David was ready to take the word of Annis and confederates that the child was suitable; and could only have wished that they had found her earlier so she would have had the chance of the weevil fest. Still he trusted the first to be friendly when the child arrived; and his belief in them was indeed thus justified.

oOoOo

The other house heads besides Albert in Hufflepuff were soon there too. Jordan Christie was now head of Gryffindor, chosen in preference to Hadrian Malfoy because Hadrian was rather inclined to place animal rights over human rights; or Stacey Kordach because it would have caused some comment; or Lois Stavely who had not the self confidence. And in Ravenclaw, Ming Chang was house head, being the only one of the upper sixth prefects actually capable of taking charge firmly in any situation, though Pearl might have risen to an occasion if push came to shove. Gorbrin was glad; Ming was one of his best friends, as was Albert; and he got on well with Jordan who was also planning to be an auror and so would be training beside Gorbrin and Meliandra. It would be easy to work with whoever was voted head boy. And that was an election that they were now excluded from for being all of them candidates; and Gorbrin preferred not to know.

"We actually have a good bunch any one of whom would do pretty well this year" said Bella. "Personally I'm inclined towards Gorbrin; not just because he's in my house but he IS the one who took on the train duty."

"I'm inclined for Gorbrin too; but he IS my brother" said Zajala, also self conscious about her new status as prefect.

"Ming is very good too" said Mimi judiciously "And Jordan is pretty conscientious as is Albert, though I do recall Gorbrin suggesting last year that Albert shouldn't be made to have to do extra. And this year he has his little brother who's also likely to be suffering from their stuck up sisters and Albert's so damn fair he'd be so much tougher on the poor sprout than he had to be and neglect him for the good of the school."

"And let's not have any specious crap from you two, Deborah and Porphyria, over choosing the head boy on looks like you were spouting last year" said George Monk.

"Well there's not a huge amount of point supporting Gorbrin and making sure he knows in the hopes of getting to be Madam Malfoy, even a second best sort of Madam Malfoy, because prizing him out of Meliandra is hard enough; he's made his choice" said Porphyria.

"You are a silly piece" said Meliandra scornfully "If I wasn't his girlfriend he'd still remember that you two made comments about goblins when we all started, and that you asked me if I went around with a goblin because I was too plain to get a human boyfriend, not that I or Gorbrin were thinking in those terms then; and recall that you would only find him attractive for the lustre of his family standing and by the by he's NOT a second best sort of Malfoy you prune; Lucius doesn't make any difference between his own children, his step children or his adopted children."

"Truth" said Ian "Me being adopted; though us older ones can see that Gorbin IS one of his favourites. WHY are we on so silly a subject? I'm voting for my brother Gorbrin because I think Ming has the odd kick in his gallop still and Jordan is a great guy but he's never made any push to be much of a leader and Albert has his kid brother to think about and I can't see why anyone is maundering about such hogwash as…. Oh but it's those Huffer dimwit girls who only got to be prefects because Albus had to choose someone and they could spell their names with a bit of help."

There was a brief altercation over this; not that any of the other Hufflepuff prefects came to the aid of the two of their number who failed to jinx Ian with their best efforts and who the boy cycled – both at once – through guinea fowl and guinea pig since they were, he said, both silly creatures like the girls themselves and therefore the assimilative correlation was obvious. He was standing up for family Malfoy, and intended to rise to the occasion with the sort of snidery Lucius himself would manage.

Ian was an easy going boy at most times and not prone to put himself forward; and so his words had more impact than otherwise, once he had apologised nicely to Huffers who were NOT dippy.

"Ming CAN be a tad erratic" admitted Avice.

"Understatement is not becoming" said Venilia "Ming can be exceedingly erratic; and the good of the school might just fade into the back of his mind if he was researching some juicy piece of ancient rune or something; he IS rather a true Ravenclaw and we DO have this tendency to get sidetracked rather easily."

"Nice piece of self honesty" said Meliandra "As we Slytherin can get carried away by our own cleverness and lose the plot a little at times."

"Gorbrin's actually as solid as a Huffer in some respects" said Bella "As crazily courageous as a Gryff and as academic as any Raver as well as having the drive of a Slyther without its more negative aspects. I'd say he has the qualities of all the houses."

"He's also damn good at promoting interhouse co-operation" said Jack Murray, made up to prefect this year with Sampta Patil to have four in the lower sixth.

Sampta grinned.

"Anyone ever wondered what it would be like to have Lilith Snape as Head Girl? Her ways of sorting people out are a little drastic but they work more than they don't."

"Don't even GO there!" cried Mimi "Not that she isn't equal to it; brat would take it on with aplomb, though I doubt she'd enjoy it much; only she might decide to institute customs that were good for us like eating carrots instead of sweeties because she'd feel the responsibility too much! Let the poor brat have a childhood do, I have no doubt she's already doing at least as much interfering as any prefect at least with the warts and weevils!"

Sampta laughed.

"You're right; but she COULD do the job. Ming has no patience by the way; or at least it's in such limited supply it runs out over the first week back at school, NOT a good trait in a head boy."

"I feel kind of disloyal even considering anyone but Jordan; we are sort of an item" said Stacey.

"Politics and love are not the same though" Said Mimi "If Darryl were here and was in a different house I'd still feel that Gorbrin was the better head boy; because he is."

"Gorbrin is very special" said Lois Stavely "He and Mel rescued me from – well, a pretty terrible life; and arranged that I should come to school. He's been practising to be an auror and a leader of society by poking around in what's wrong in society ever since he got given the name and the dosh to be able to do so; he's a star."

"Yes" said Maud "Jordan is a great guy; is going to be a hero and a great auror and cares about people. But you have to tell him where the heroics are needed and explain to him about who needs compassion. Gorbrin goes and finds out."

The Prefects duly cast their votes; and the ones with boyfriends secretly expected Stacey to vote for Jordan anyway and did not really blame her.

oOoOo

The train journey proceeded with relatively little disruption; old enemies Edward Kettleburn and Orlando Ogren had a wand fight in the train corridor necessitating Gorbrin undoing the effects of their jinxes on the sweetie trolley of Ethel Portree; which had resulted in the pumpkin juice being purple and large fizzing and popping boils on all the ice cream. Gorbrin, surveying the mayhem, insisted that the boys would both write an apology of no less than six lines to Madam Portree that they might start now to keep them out of any further trouble on the train journey as well as presenting him with three copies of 'Oh East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet' as a reminder that neither should be in the vicinity of the other and called shame on them for catching someone else in the collateral damage of their squabble and that if he, Gorbrin could not sort out the jinxed sweeties, then they damaged them and might therefore be considered to have bought them. He had no real expectation of NOT being able to sort out the sweeties, but the duellists needed to be reminded of the realities of life.

They slunk into separate compartments to begin their impots.

"And WHY they're still at loggerheads when the girl they were both chasing dropped them both I don't know" said Gorbrin absently curing the ice cream of its exploding pumpkin-flavoured zits with a flick of the wand.

"Young boys can be a bit too feisty at times" said Ethel.

After that Gorbrin did the rounds and rescued Douglas Flint from floating bonelessly near the roof with a mouth full of soap and let the extraneous bats out of the window.

"It was that rotten Crabbe boy and cronies!" said Flint.

"Ah? And with soap coming from your mouth that suggests to me that you made some racist comment. Now you CAN tell me all about it and make a complaint; but if you do I SHALL legilimens you and if you DID make such comments I will then enact the prefect punishment for racism on you" said Gorbrin. "Up to you. Did you want to complain about whoever jinxed you?"

Flint stared hard at the floor.

"No" he muttered.

"Wise move" said Gorbrin.

At least it had been a fairly uneventful trip, he thought as they pulled into the station.

oOoOo

It may be said that the journey by boat to the castle was not entirely uneventful; since a boy named Bernard Higgs made such a fuss and refused to sit next to a hag on one side and a goblin on the other that Tarquin, Sevvy and Salazar exchanged looks and with one accord threw him over board and suggested that if he objected to normal folk he might therefore swim instead.

Hagrid heaved the dripping spluttering boy back on board and ticked off the three boys for taking the lad too much at his word; and then ticked off the dampened Bernard Higgs for making nasty racist remarks that would, once he was in school properly, result in punishment but as he had received peer disapproval no more would be said about it now.

Hagrid did NOT like racists.

He had cuddled Salazar and Sevvy at least when they were babies; and was not about to blame them for their over reacting to the foolish Bernard who might perhaps learn to keep his mouth shut whatever his feelings.

oOoOo

The sight of the new Headmaster waiting to welcome the new arrivals – and the older forms in their flying carriages – circling the castle on a big griffon was an impressive sight and David Fraser was well cheered by all who knew him, with very controlled cheers so as not to upset Godrica. Godrica was less shy than she had been however and took it all in her stride.

oOoOo

The four older people were to be first under the hat after its hymn of introduction of the houses; and both Storm and Zephyra ended up in Slytherin with their friend Zajala; Yulan went into Ravenclaw – to the mutters of Priscilla Fawcett, Xanthia's sister that how come a squib suddenly got good enough for a house of high flyers – and Rudatz went into Gryffindor. Chrys and Purnima almost missed their confederates' protégé being hatted in the brief scuffle that followed the imputations against Yulan that were echoed by Tancred Dagworth; and Priscilla and Tancred were both wondering how to deal with having had their feet put on backwards because, as Chrys said, in some muggle legends trolls had their feet on backwards and they were a couple of trolls.

"Not that you lot know anything about where she learned to develop her, er, latent talents?" said Alrak gan Nork sardonically.

Chrys and Purnima and Yulan all grinned at him.

Ming, as head of house, used a complex little sending spell to lightly cuff all five protagonists and Alrak for good measure.

Flitwick sighed in delight; a very talented boy, Ming Chang; and quite equal to squashing the less exemplary of the house.

What HAD those marauder children done to Miss Fawcett and Mr Dagworth that had them peering down at their lower bodies with such horror?

It would probably become obvious when they later left the table; one should practise a little patience.

oOoOo

Clymene was the second weevil to be sorted, behind Clisithera Attercop. Clisithera joined her sister in Gryffindor; and Clymene gritted her teeth and sat on the stool under the hat thinking firmly 'NOT Slytherin'.

She was amazed to find her thoughts answered as the hat commended her for her willingness to make a stand; and loudly pronounced,

"Gryffindor!"

Nigel, prepared to clap with languid acceptance of his sister into Slytherin, stared.

Marauding Gryffindors clapped loudly to make up for the slight horror felt by some of the house over a Gryffindor Baddock; and Maud said to Isobel, loudly enough to be heard at the senior end,

"Wonder if some Gryffs were rude enough not to appreciate the bravery of someone going against family trend when Sirius Black first chose not to be a Slytherin too?"

"Unfortunately OUR house hubris is bone headed narrow mindedness" sighed Isobel

There were a large number of 'B's; the Black twins into Slytherin to cock a snoot at previous generations of Blacks who had cut their branch off; Cathy Barbary following them; a child called Cleodora Beltane into Ravenclaw; the latest Bobbin child, Faustina, into Slytherin; a Maud Bonham into Hufflepuff; and another Ravenclaw, one Rohanne Bundy. Naomi Cooper, a boy called Yardley Davies and the younger brother of muggle-born Dixon twins preceded Candace, Naomi going into Slytherin, the Davies boy to Ravenclaw and Hugh Dixon following his siblings into Hufflepuff.

Candace knew what she wanted; and the hat chuckled kindly as it pronounced her a Gryffindor. Now she must wait and see if her friend Zeljeela would join her; most of the rest were going to be Slytherin, of that she was certain, through family affiliation, especially Salazar and Bryony being descended from Salazar Slytherin even though Bryony had many generations of muggle blood between herself and the founder.

With a hyphen in his name Salazar was sorted relatively early, and there were some whispers about his first name by those who had not realised he had acted in Wizarding Wireless Vision to portray his own father. Slytherin marauding and supporting contingents cheered wildly. The young hag went shortly thereafter into Ravenclaw where William Waffling embarrassed her by making an emotional welcome and hope that she would find most Ravenclaws not as bad as some portrayed.

Then Zeljeela was sent into Gryffindor and Candace hugged her and Clymene smiled shyly.

It was no big surprise that Charlie Rawlins also ended up a Gryffindor; and no real surprise that so did Neesa. As did Balduk and Seb. Sevvy and Tarquin were Slytherin as was the damp Bernard Higgs; and Bryony too, and Timothy Malfoy. Sebastian MacMillan was a Hufflepuff with Darren Slugworthy and the other muggle born child Coral Sneden; and Henry Tranter was the first half elf in Ravenclaw and, as Sevvy said, they were welcome to him.

"Lumme" said Ming to Hugin Corbin, with whom he had become fairly friendly since Hugin had avoided being caught out by the Riddle riddle jape "Last year's bunch of weevils had enough decent ones that I really had hopes; apart from the Greenteeth girl they look a right wet bunch this year – if not as wet physically as that Slytherin boy – and I KNOW Tranter's a prig."

"Not of the calibre of the Makepeace girl I hope?" said Hugin nervously.

"No; he's mostly harmless" said Ming "Just thinks that joining clubs and gangs is rather beneath him; even the MSHG!"

"He might grow out of it" said Hugin mildly, not having been a member himself for long.

"He MIGHT: but he spurned Roger's offer to let him join their society against slavery; was quite rude, I hear" said Ming. "Oh well, they don't at least look on the whole to be actively spiteful or stuck up; just a bit Huffer-ish."

"Better that than a load of Amos Leroys" said Hugin with feeling.

oOoOo

And then the headmaster was standing.

"Welcome to school to those who are new here; and welcome back to those of you who are returning to your pursuit of education" said David. "I feel much in the same position as you new ones, whether in the first or higher up the school; and I am remembering vividly the day I sat under a battered looking hat and was told to take my place on the Gryffindor table; where I was looked out for by a lad named Dennis, and by an older boy called Harry Potter. And how thrilled and proud I was to be able to be part of his secret bodyguard as we plotted against Tom Riddle. In some ways I feel I have come full circle; for starting school with me is the son of Tom Riddle, child of that nasty little man's usual shenanigans. And I am sure that he prefers to think of himself as in descent of Salazar Slytherin, which of course he is, one of three of that founder's descendants in the school. Some of you have grown up knowing me quite well; and you know of course that I will be taking unfair advantage of knowing your foibles to catch you out at any mischief you may brew. I have a very famous and difficult pair of shoes to fill; Albus Dumbledore is a tough act to follow, but he has trusted me to do it and I will hope to live up to his expectations. However I DO know all the customs and I am NOT about to be caught out by carefully constructed casuistry over quickly constructed customs; you have been warned. New children in Hufflepuff and Gryffindor should not be unduly concerned if they find the odd tiger in their common room, they are perfectly accredited members of the house. Now I have only to announce the new head boy and you may fall on your feast with gusto. I am pleased to note that the prefecture as a whole has chosen the one boy who does rather shine out, despite all the candidates being more than acceptable choices; a harder decision for you this year than on some previous ones I suspect. And voted in by all but three is Gorbrin Malfoy-Tobak."

Gorbrin rose and came forward looking stunned.

"Very nice of you to say all that sir, but I'm puzzled as to why" he said as David handed him his badge, the 'girl' changing to 'boy' as he took it.

David laughed.

"Now let me see, could it be because you are the one of the four who actively searches out what needs to be done and gets on and does it without waiting to be told?" he said. "I have every faith in you, Gorbrin, that you'll be as good a head boy as your brother Draco; and it was he who I always held as a yardstick for my own performance when I became Head Boy."

"Thank you sir" said Gorbrin again, bowing. He turned to the school.

"I suppose I shall be somewhat looked at for being the first goblin head boy" he said "In a year when we have the first ever muggleborn headmaster. Professor Fraser feels, I suspect, as I do that we do NOT have anything to prove; though plenty will feel that we do. So far as I'm concerned, I am just following in the footsteps of my brother and my dad; and I'm proud of them and prouder yet that what they did just over a decade ago means that I, a goblin, CAN be standing here and know that my fellow prefects did NOT elect me to get the first goblin head boy but because they repose a confidence in me to do my best for the school. I shall. And I know the prefects well enough to know that I shall never know who the three were who felt that someone else would do a better job than me because the prefects will all do their utmost and will support the position I hold even if they preferred to see another holding it. Remember, the prefects are there for you as well as to help the teachers with discipline and sitting with you for prep. They are there to be between you and an official interest being taken. Now enjoy yourselves; and let's get on with the feast, a shock like that has made me hungry!"

There was laughter.

"It was Stacey Kordach feeling she ought to support her Jordan and the two dippy Huffers I am pretty certain," said Meliandra as he sat down next to her. "I appreciate Stacey's feelings; she'd have voted for you if her boyfriend hadn't been head of house; it WOULD have been a little mean if he'd had no votes at all, not even his girlfriend's."

"That I concede" said Gorbrin "And even so I'm astounded at the result! Mind, I'd never expect Deborah and Porphyria to vote for me since I turned them green for getting at you when we were weevils."

"They have the ODDEST priorities" sighed Meliandra "I expect that they voted for Ming because the Changs are wealthy and well connected and he hasn't got a permanent girlfriend yet."

"Poor sad little gits" said Gorbrin "Pass the mustard please!"

oOoOo

The feast went, as always with a swing; and various prefects led the new weevils to their dormitories whilst a press of older ones seethed like, as Gorbrin described it, the gyrating maggots in that verse of 'There's a Zombie in my Attic'.

oOoOo

Griselda Greenteeth was relieved that none of her dormitory mates seemed in any way put out by her race; the worst comment was from a girl called Odette Graves who said that even if she ground her teeth in her sleep thinking about chewing on the bones of anyone, it could NOT be as bad as anyone who snored and if anyone did would they PLEASE ask for a prophylactic potion as she was a poor sleeper.

"Well you'll have to tell us if anyone does, won't you?" said Cleodora Beltane "Most of us are asleep when we're snoring, if we are and can't hear it."

"That sounds like the riddle the door asked, what sound is in the wood if nobody is there to hear it" grinned one Judith Goldstein.

"Stupid question; why have we got to answer stupid questions?" asked Jonquil Rhodes, younger sister of Eglantyne "My sister says it's supposed to make us think!"

"Then you have answered your own question as to why do it" said Rohanne Bundy, winking at Griselda, Cleodora and Judith.

oOoOo

Apart from Bernard Higgs and Wilfrid Trimmer, brother of the interfering Walter in Nathan's year, all the Slytherin boys were friends; and when Wilfrid tried to get Salazar to talk about what it was like being Voldemort's son so he could write about it, Salazar threatened to defenestrate him if he even tried.

"Lucius got expert script writers to do it already for the documentary" he said, making himself calm down "I've been hardly aware, in practical terms, that I had any father but my dad, Alastor Moody, save perhaps my brother-in-law, Professor Severus Snape. If you want to be a writer, write about what you know; unless you've had anything to do with a dark wizard you CAN'T know. I don't really; though I was there holding hands with Lilith Snape at the battle for Hogwarts because we escaped from the nursery; and I really DON'T advise you to pester her because transfigurations is her thing and you're bound to end up with too many legs."

"Human transfiguration is far too tricky for a child to do!" said Wilfrid.

"Yeah? Well Lilith was born an animagus and she understands human transfiguration with as much instinct as an elf understands apportation" said Salazar "But do try irritating her by all means; the rest of us will point and giggle."

Wilfrid retired in a huff which was the general idea, and Salazar, Tarquin and Sevvy held a conversation in Parseltongue just to freak him and Bernard out – which it did – because he could not know that they were just reciting all the Kipling they could remember.

The four Slytherin girls had no trouble; Faustina was less self opinionated than her older sister Narcissa and nodded politely enough and remarked that they might as well stick together against any older interfering people if that was all right on general principles that if nothing else the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

It was a good enough starting basis for some harmony in the dormitory; and Faustina made no adverse comment about Bryony being muggleborn so Bryony volunteered that it was fun that the wizarding blood had showed up after all these generations and she'd have to learn more about this ancestor of hers, Salazar Slytherin. At which Faustina got positively unbending and promised to help her look things up. Cathy tried to take control a bit, but Naomi pointed out that there were not enough of them to work on any principle but anarchy in its purest meaning and if she started giving orders, she was giving them only to herself; which the other two backed her on and Cathy muttered something about bumptiousness and subsided.

The female Gryffindor Lifemunchers had only the Attercop girl – mostly harmless with a tendency to make too much of Gorbrin being a goblin and it being splendid – and half of a pair of twins that were siblings of an older Gryff. Tilia Wood had a collection of bonsai wand trees and hoped fervently that they would have the chance to fight dark wizards before they left school and was generally inoffensive.

Her twin Linden in the boys' dorm seemed pleasant enough if sports mad; he confessed to being no good at quidditch though he loved it and got into a discussion on hurley with Balduk. Charlie and Seb said hello to Grimwald Jorkins – another younger brother – who seemed decent enough and threatened to jinx Ragnok if he didn't stop speechifying about the honour to goblinkind that Gorbrin's election was. As Balduk added his voice to the threat, Ragnok could not call racism and started explaining that he only wanted to show how proud he was that his family knew Gorbrin's before he was a Malfoy. Which being so, the others mostly forgave him so long as he didn't go on like a ruddy Ravenclaw, as Charlie put it.

And the school settled down for its first night under a new headmaster.

Except those who were on the front drive turning it into the bog of very long lasting stench.

It would take several days so they thought they might as well start setting it up, having plotted with Argus Filch.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

As the first day of September was a Saturday, the first full day was also the weekend and therefore ripe for mischief for those not overawed by the experience of newly being at school.

The Pepperingye Marauders, as fans of Monty Python had decided that the new headmaster needed to be welcomed by a dance display – as they announced at breakfast to the groans of Madam McGonagall who knew them too well – and proceeded to do so, with the co-operation of the Stripy Marauders to make better numbers for a display.

U-may, Charis, Tobala and Wanda had spent the holiday making and decorating fabric fishes stuffed with cotton in preference to using either real fish or rubber ones; because, dressed in kilts, they proceeded to do the fish slapping dance, their feet under the honky-tonk twinkle toes curse to produce the requisite Archers music. When they had finished they proceeded to enchant the stuffed fish with a tricky little enchantment way beyond any but the more advanced NEWT students – it had required some considerable library work – to fly around the Great Hall as though swimming with magical programming to recognise each other and swim as a shoal, glittering and shimmering for being made out of fabrics with metal threads and covered in sequins. The Marauders involved bowed and curtseyed formally to the headmaster and marched smartly back to their places.

"Novel" said David dryly "DO persuade your pets to swim elsewhere for the Yule Ball; unless the Head Boy plans to use them as part of the décor."

"Seems a shame to waste them sir; I'll work on it" said Gorbrin laconically. "The Pepperingye Marauders have to come this year after all."

There was a collective groan from the fourth.

"I say, Nathan, you're bleeding" said U-may

Nathan put his hand to the small scrape on his cheek.

"Yeah, one of those dratted sequins was a bit sharp I guess" he said.

"Just part of the sequins of events then" quipped U-may.

Nathan poked her.

They were a little disappointed that David Fraser had not chosen to set his style as headmaster with kilt and full highland regalia; but the kilts had been their tribute to him and were in Fraser tartan, which David recognised and appreciated even if very few other people did. David had never been comfortable in full robes; so he chose to emulate Severus and wore a black suit of archaic cut with academic robes over it, and a hat so reminiscent of the one Lee Van Cleef wore in 'For a few dollars more' that he was, with such a suit, promptly nicknamed Colonel Mortimer by the MSHG.

oOoOo

After breakfast, David rose.

"It being a lazy Sunday, two of the upper sixth have asked if they might have the indulgence of half an hour of your time to put a proposal; that you can then consider over the rest of the weekend" he said. "Miss Malfoy, Miss Bulstrode."

Erica and Meliandra came forward.

"Most people in the wizarding world know that my mums run the Society for the Relief of Marginalised women" said Erica "For those of you new to the wizarding world or those who have managed to swan through life without actually managing to keep in touch with current affairs – quiet you" she added as several Slytherin juniors coughed with the word 'Ravenclaws' in the cough " – where was I, oh yes, my dad has four wives, we're happy with it, so it's no-one else's business and they're all involved in this society which is more than the society for distressed witches because it also takes into account the needs of muggle relatives of our world, hags, goblins, elves and any other needy females. It's aimed at women because women tend to be the most marginalised of the poor, generally even in this day and age even less well educated than men and barred by custom from some jobs. Those women who have had illegitimate babies are seen as scarlet women, whether they were raped, deceived or what; and few people will employ them. We want to start a junior branch at Hogwarts, aimed specifically at the relief of marginalised girls our own sort of age and younger. Girls who have been abused and got pregnant when they're only little girls of twelve or thirteen, or who are orphaned with no other way of earning a living than begging or selling themselves, especially if some oaf of a stepfather or neighbour has already used them because they were vulnerable."

"The habits of the poor are quite loathsome; why bother with them? They're scarcely more than animals" said Douglas Flint.

"Oh, you think those habits are confined to the poor do you, Mr Flint? Then you are VERY much mistaken" said Erica coldly. "A distant cousin of mine of good family, pure bred witch and well off was raped repeatedly by her stepfather from the age of thirteen; she gave birth here in school at the age of fifteen. Naturally as she was not at fault she was not expelled; unfortunately the perceptions of too many people – again of whatever class – see it as always the girl's fault regardless; and in some households where it happens if they are supposedly better class a baby would be quietly disposed of and the matter never spoken about because of the shame and the girl never able to deal with her trauma of all that has happened – including the murder of her baby which she may or may not have desired. The girl in question was offered an abortifacient but she decided to be brave because she did not feel it right to kill an innocent baby who had not chosen to be conceived; and her choice was respected. But it happens; and probably more often than we even know about."

"Will you believe me then if I tell you what's happening at home?"

The child who had stood was at the Ravenclaw table.

"Stop making a spectacle of yourself, Wintringham!" snapped Xanthia Fawcett.

"STOP showing yourself to be as ignorant as an Umbrous Alley traditionally downtrodden yet rectitude-snobbish goblin, Fawcett!" snapped Meliandra "Wintringham, kids your age don't know details if they haven't had stuff happen; and I say, you come with us to the Head's office while Storm and Zephyra finish off telling the rest of you what we had proposed."

Monica Wintringham stumbled out of her seat and burst into tears as Erica put her arms around her; Fenella Crawford came with her.

"Monica sleepwalks sometimes, Malfoy, and over the last year it's been worse" she volunteered "I'm her friend; I'll come along too if I may."

"You're all right Crawford" said Erica approvingly.

They left the part fey girls explaining the idea of giving a personal touch to a hostel by sewing and knitting and suggesting that if boys wanted to be involved with something they might want to think about setting up a hostel for boys too by skanking round Mr Malfoy.

Gorbrin laughed and said if anyone was interested he'd take an interest and work on his dad to help with funding but he would NOT have time to be president.

"I can though" said Ming.

There was much discussion – though on Ravenclaw table, Ming had to threaten to drop zits saying 'git' on the foreheads of those who preferred speculating over Monica to discussing what might be done to help others.

oOoOo

Meanwhile Monica stumbled through her story of how her mum had been abandoned by their real father for a younger witch and remarried a man who had taken a lot of interest in her and her little sister and she had thought it really nice until he started doing things she did not like; and how she was terrified he would start on little Miranda who was just seven.

"Surely she's way too young?" gasped Erica.

"Erica, did you not know that before Jade and Lydia were in the orphanage that awful father of theirs was grooming them to sell them – at three and four?" said David quietly.

Erica went white; and suddenly remembered that she shared a biological father with Jade and Lydia, the ubiquitous Jonathon Malfoy.

"Oh Fido, you WILL do something, won't you?" she said.

David did not chide her for using his nickname.

"Of course I will" he said "But Monica must tell me exactly what he has done; and I will put it then in the Pensieve for her and take it to the aurors office. After I have talked to her mother" he added. He did NOT tell the girls that some mothers refused point blank to believe in such depositions, preferring to believe that their daughters were lying than that the man who loooved them could do wrong. Erica pulled a wry face; she knew. Dione, whose case it had been that she cited, had not been believed by HER mother.

oOoOo

Madam Foster – which was Monica's mother's new name – exceeded expectations for David. She believed every word and declared that if only Monica had spoken up when she asked her what made her so quiet she would have kicked out Mr Foster forthwith. She then asked Miranda if Dad Stephen had done anything she found uncomfortable; and found that although he had not actually interfered with her he was certainly grooming her.

"I'm reverting to Wintringham" said that lady firmly "And we're going to cut up all his robes and smash all his collection of porcelain figurines and throw them out of the window and burn all his books in the front garden and change the locks. Professor Fraser, Miranda and I are going to be busy; would you be so kind as to send a locksmith round?"

"I'd be delighted" said David "And I'll fetch Monica home to help with your destruction."

"I am going to KILL him when he gets back" said Madam Wintringham viciously.

"No Madam Wintringham; leave his punishment to the auror's office" said David. "Though if I bring you a few boxes of rotten eggs, you and the girls CAN make your disapproval felt in other ways."

"What a wonderful man you are!" said Madam Wintringham in grim satisfaction "Yes, bring me my little girl; I need to apologise for being such a poor picker of men that she's had to go through that, and to hold her close and tell her it WILL be better!"

oOoOo

Back in school it may be said that Rufina Scrimgeour and Simi Patil both ended up as green tentacled bouncing balls for Rufina saying in her sanctimonious way that Monica should have told her mother sooner and Simi agreeing with her.

Sampta Patil told her sister it served her right; and left the floor to Lilith.

"It's not that easy you creeps" said Lilith "I know; my dad's a headmaster, remember. Kids tend to believe what grown ups tell them; and the grown ups who are this sort of creep tell lies and say it's all the fault of their little victim; and make them keep it as their special secret. Monica has a step dad; he probably told her that if she told, it would make her mummy so unhappy and would mean they were living in poverty again because he'd have to leave her if her daughter was so naughty as to tell. They use mind bending to get people to do what they want; and you can't say YOU wouldn't have your minds bent because we bent yours almost as much as your elders when we pulled the Riddle riddle jape 'cos you believed in it; and perverts are as good at mind games as any dark wizard. And you better not say ANYTHING to Monica when she gets back into school because I can arrange for your underwear to be permanently itchy for the next four years until you leave school. And Goshawk, if you spread any of your usual lies based on half truths to anyone, in school or at home or write to any papers I'm going to get Lucius as a Governor to sue your dad into penury for giving the school a bad name with having a liar for a daughter so there" she added to another Ravenclaw third year.

"AFTER I've jinxed you into a ball" said Sextus.

"Me too" said Fenella. She had suffered from Sonia Goshawk's severe embroidery.

"Acksherly" said Lilith "I have a better idea. Sec, grab Goshawk for me."

Sonia screeched and squirmed; Sextus held her firmly. Lilith stared hard into the older girl's eyes.

"What are you DOING?" squealed Goshawk.

"Sorted" said Lilith. "Listen, Goshawk; nothing unpleasant will happen unless you try to speak or write a lie; ANY lie beyond tactful ones because I'm that good I can make the distinction. If you start to lie, you will get a blinding headache. The moment you leave off lying it will go away. It should make life more comfortable for everyone around you AND might even teach you to be a decent person."

"I forgive you for jinxing us over that" said Rufina.

Lilith undid her and Sita with a flip of the hand.

"I wanted to get your attention so I could explain some facts of life to you" she said "I know far more about creeps than a kid my age ought to because I'm awfully good at being insignificant and unnoticed when grown ups are talking; and my sister Jade is sorting out social problems in Germany and my dad has come across heaps of problems as house head here and as headmaster at Prince Peak. One of my sisters is the child born of the situation Erica talked about because he adopted her; the little mother was in his house. It's awfully easy to be sanctimonious and say this or that ought to have been done; one might say that Albus Dumbledore should have killed the younger Tom Riddle when he had the chance, and maybe he ought to have done; but then Albus Dumbledore is a man of infinite compassion who hoped that my noxious grandfather would see the error of his ways. And I'm glad he didn't because then my mum would never have been conceived and I shouldn't be here. It's easy to be wise after events; the big ones SHOULD have told a teacher about our Riddle letter. Their decision not to was hubris – false pride to those of you with limited vocabulary" she added rudely "Not fear. We COULD have implanted a compulsion to make them fear to tell grown ups. It's easy-peasy lemon squeezy to put so minor a level of compulsion in a letter; even easier than giving Goshawk fib-related headaches 'cos that needs some quite subtle legilimensy."

"Isn't legilimensy illegal to use without a licence?" demanded Goshawk. "Like Veritaserum?"

"No, actually" said Lilith "Because though Veritaserum is awfully tricky to brew – I'm thinking of doing it for my NEWT potion – it can, like any potion, be used by anyone. Legilimensy is reckoned to be so hard a skill to learn that if you're self disciplined enough to learn it you're self disciplined enough to use it; not necessarily true, see also my inadequate grandsire, but that's the law. Should it be changed? Possibly. But the ministry also hold that it's impossible for the mind of a sub adult to learn so y'know, technically and legally I can't do what I just did. It's impossible to fly too and Voldemort circumvented that one too as the first person to do so. And we're STILL taught in charms that it isn't possible."

"Moving the half pint firmly OFF one of her hobby horses" said Sextus "I didn't know either about using brainwashing to keep kids silent but I do believe it, Scrimgeour, Patil; you will leave the Wintringham girl alone?"

"We shouldn't dream of doing anything to further upset her" said Rufina "And I guess we accept that Snape probably knows what she's talking about; it's an unwholesomely bad habit she has."

"Why thank you, thank you!" said Lilith, clapping her hands in mock delight.

"May I say too, you bigger ones" Purnima Zanam spoke up from a corner of the Ravenclaw common room "That before I was adopted at the age of eight I had been an orphan for two years and a street whore for one in the clutches of a big boy, who was then about the age you are now; and the terror, the pain and the humiliation is enough to drive you so much into yourself, having done to you what should only happen between consenting adults, that you do not WANT to talk about it because even thinking about it makes you relive all the terror and humiliation and pain. It would NOT take much to make a child keep silent because to talk about it at all, even to a special person, takes every ounce of your courage; and if you feared your special person would not believe you, then anyone who is doing it would punish you more. We could not tell the police because high ranking policemen were some of the customers; and even if low-grade policemen believed us, then nothing would be done and we would be hurt worse. You are such little innocents and it makes me angry that you pass an opinion over something you know nothing about. Thank you."

Rufina went white.

"I say, Zanam, I didn't know" she said "I am sorry it happened to you. "Is – is there anything I can do?"

"Yes, by golly there is" said Purnima "You can join the Society for Marginalised Women and give practical help to girls to be trained in a trade, like sewing, or even sponsored to school if they are clever enough."

"I – I will then" said Rufina.

"Thank goodness! You might just turn out a proper Ravenclaw not a git like your brother!" said Lilith.

"You shouldn't even be here, Snape; it's not your common room!" said Rufina "It's most improper that you should be able so easily to answer the riddles!"

"Well they are rather childishly easy" said Lilith "And the hat DID offer me Ravenclaw; I declined for family reasons. So I'm almost a second hand Ravenclaw as you might say."

"You are just ubiquitous" said Purnima.

"GOOD word!" agreed Lilith unabashed.

Something suddenly occurred to Simi Patil and she clutched her sister's hand.

"Sampta, mummy has a man friend; do you think he might hurt US?"

Madam Patil was a widow who was also a muggle; her wizard husband's family had paid for all the girls to go to Hogwarts.

"I don't think so, Simi; but you know, if he DOES behave inappropriately, at least now we'd recognise it and would be able to talk to each other and to have the guts to tell mummy, wouldn't we?" said Sampta soberly "And if she couldn't believe us, then we should have to tell Professor Flitwick because Flitters is nobody's fool."

"I guess most people's step parents are good people to take on other folks' children; like Lucius taking on Gorbrin and his eight siblings without turning a hair" said Lilith "and there's more to that than the fact that he can jolly well afford it; they all adore Lucius and call him dad without a second thought now. But I guess there ARE some creeps out there who just try to pick up women who are vulnerable with daughters – or sons I guess – who are the age they like to use. Tell you what, if your mum gets serious, invite me to stay for a few days in the hols and I'll legilimens him before she gets hitched. And if he IS a creep, we come up with a way to get rid of him preferably that gets him nicked too."

"From any other kid your age – or rather of the age you're with let alone your age" said Sampta " – that would almost be a fantasy; I reckon you WOULD get him nicked too, even though he's a muggle."

"Oh that's even easier" said Lilith "Muggles are paranoid about child abuse and perverts and if he IS he'd almost certainly have pictures on his computer and all we do is shop him to the fuzz and let them do the rest. Their laws are stricter than ours because our laws were written by people who didn't want to believe in such not nice things; and they're being revised, like actually having an age of consent to protect kids. Don't worry; we'll sort it out" she said airily.

oOoOo

The rest of the girls in the school were busy forming sewing bees and knitting groups; the idea of using a creative hobby to bring a bit of joy and colour into the lives of those less fortunate than themselves had really caught on; and Bella suggested a sponsored knit, that they should con parents into offering them so much a square knitted before Yule. Bella knitted and sewed only when she had no other choice so it really would be a challenge for her to produce a significant amount of squares; and she reckoned that she could touch several relatives for a large amount per square after they had fallen about laughing over the idea of her knitting at all. Mafalda declared she had no idea how to knit and sew but if the 'Times' would pay for crossword puzzles she would donate her fees accordingly and Bella suggested she write and ask and explain what she was going to do with the fee because they were more likely to pay her more.

Mafalda started scribbling down clues and trying them out on her classmates; and over the clue 'sounds like an insane garden creature – one who likes to wander forever' that was a nomad, she was jinxed firmly by the Belle Marauders to play – naturally – 'Tiger Rag' in the boogie woogie bogey bugle curse.

"I suppose the nomad hasn't got a gnome to go to" giggled Maud; and was duly poked.

oOoOo

Meliandra also had other business; David had appointed her head of school quidditch and asked her to form an all school team because he had challenged Durmstrang to a match before the weather became bad; and Meliandra had a lot of big decisions to make; not least who to pick as seeker.

She summoned Gorbrin, Jack Murray and Seckunder Singh and explained her dilemma.

Jack exchanged a glance with Gorbrin.

"Seckunder is the best of the three of us" he said. "Gorbrin and I work well together now; if you'd play us as chasers, we'd be pleased."

Meliandra nodded.

"I'm glad you concur with what I had been thinking" she said.

Jack flushed.

"Unlike poor Leroy, I grew out of being a prima donna" he said. "Who would you put as third chaser, Nathan or Zajala?"

"If I'm playing beater – and I AM one of the best – I'd as soon not play either" said Meliandra "Or it could be the Slytherin team with a few Ravenclaws. I thought I'd play Drusilla MacMillan; she's better than Sampta by a few hairs."

"She IS good; I'd not quarrel with that" said Gorbrin. "Drop me if you need to play another house more; I shan't take offence."

"I will though" said Meliandra "Your broomsurfing is something else; and I might make you play Keeper at that. Lilith is far too young for that much excitement and pressure; she's almost bound to take offence at something someone says and turn them into a spider and get her basilisk patronus to chase them; she still lacks self control when she's gotten annoyed."

"Fair comment" said Gorbrin. "And an age limit would too be a reason to leave Bryony Urquart out as well as not wanting to have too many Slythers because she is a natural as beater; and I guess in your shoes I'd feel mean about not including her."

"I do, but I've spoken to her about it; and she's helping me arrange a second seven like Professor Fraser wants" said Meliandra "They'll give us a few practise games and we're all used to being jinxed by Lilith so we shan't turn a hair."

Gorbrin laughed.

"Only too true" he said.

"Miriam Moonshine is a good, if not exciting beater" said Jack "And that's another Huffer."

"It is; I need another Raver" said Meliandra "And I believe I will play Sampta with you and Drusilla, Jack; and put Gorbrin in as keeper. A keeper needs many of the same qualities as a seeker; and he CAN broomsurf."

Gorbrin nodded.

"I've played keeper in practice when we swap around; I'm not too bad" he said. "Two each of everyone except the Gryffs and they have the star spot of seeker by compensation; shouldn't cause any political problems."

"I could run trials but it eats into playing time and frankly any house head of games jolly well ought to be able to pick the best in the school" said Meliandra.

"Thank you, you two, for ceding seeker to me" said Sekunder "I shall do my best not to make you regret the decision."

"If you play your best, nobody can do more" said Meliandra "And I say, they should be a tough proposition; since Jade Snape has been poking the Durmstrangers into co-operating and has managed to get their Quidditch coach to take the radical step of playing the best in the first team not just the best from the upper sixth they may well be tough; AND they practise against real professional teams because it gives the school team a game and too gives practise to the pros."

"Lumme! We'll have our work cut out then!" said Gorbrin.

"Yes; and they have the Asimov twins on their team too" said Meliandra. Those who were blooded knew the Asimovs as blood siblings.

"We're possibly toast then" said Gorbrin.

"THAT's why I need a broom surfer; it's our only advantage" said Meliandra. "We have a match on our hands; and it should be good fun!"

oOoOo

Monica returned to school first thing in the morning looking much happier; and Fenella Crawford gave her a hug and, to the girl's intense surprise, both Rufina and Simi just touched her on the arm.

"Th-thanks!" said Monica, who had half expected censure from the two rather priggish girls.

"Look, my mum's got a boyfriend and now I know what to look out for I guess I'm glad I know just in case" said normally pedantic Simi.

"Anyone who hurts people is like a little Voldemort" said Rufina.

"Well, cheers!" said Monica "Professor Fraser brought us some rotten eggs; and mum and my little sister an me cut up all his clothes and books and smashed up all his ornaments and threw all his stuff out of the window; and when he came home from work we threw rotten eggs at him, and mum shouted at him and called him a pervert and a man-whore and a disgusting little git and I shouted that mummy DID believe me and she loved me more than him so there; because he said to me that she wouldn't believe me because she needed him. And then the auror came that Professor Fraser had arranged and arrested him and he used the _punit_ spell to drag him off by the ear from the wand because he was too loathsome to touch, the auror said – I think it was actually Draco Malfoy – and he said that the rotten eggs weren't half so rotten as a creep like him and we cheered the auror and booed Stephen Foster and I am just SO glad I don't have to worry about Miranda any more – and he HAD started touching her – and Professor Fraser says the school is pledged to take care of the families of any of its pupils that fall on hard times, and also that we can sue Foster for damages so we shan't have to be beholden to anyone. And I so want to join Erica Malfoy's society and help GET other creeps!"

"Crumbs, Monica, that's more than you've ever said in the previous two years you've been here!" said Rufina "Let alone all in one go!"

"Well I've been keeping it all to myself for so long and now I CAN talk about it because Professor Fraser says it's good to let people know things so it's sort of all bubbling out like the explosion Pustule Dippet had in her cauldron last year" said Monica.

The unfortunate Nancy Dippet was a Hufflepuff of the year below and had both had a disaster with her boil curing potion and had managed to cover Madam Sprout with bubotuber pus all in the first few weeks of term; and had been promptly christened 'Pustule' by her peers and had not lived it down for her continuing disasters in the potions dungeon. The particular explosion to which Monica referred had affected the then second years, Monica's year, because the cauldron had hurtled through the door narrowly missing the next class waiting because Madam Hardbroom, seeing something wrong, had hurriedly placed Nancy's cauldron away from all the class before it exploded; and the resultant detonation had sent the cauldron one way and its contents the other.

Rufina laughed.

"Well at least your explosion of words isn't as horrible as what that dippy kid cooks up in her cauldron; I mean, it's been horrible for you but I mean we don't mind you talking about it."

Monica nodded.

"Thanks. I don't want to go into detail; maybe when I've got a bit more settled I might share with Fenella if you'll let me?" she glanced at Fenella who smiled and nodded. "Oh HELL!" added Monica.

"What?" asked Fenella anxiously.

"There's Goshawk; she's been earwigging and I suppose the next thing that will happen is that she twists it all round to make it like I bring men home or something" said Monica, her eyes starting to fill.

"No she jolly well won't; Snape FIXED her" said Rufina "Every time she tells a lie she'll get a tremendous headache; written OR spoken. I must say, I never much liked Snape because I've always thought she's a bit of a show off but oh boy! I could have hugged her for that; I can put up with her being snide and rude to have Goshawk well fixed!"

"WOW!" said Monica "I say, I must do something really nice for Snape; I shall have to see what I can think of, because I know all the things HE said that people would think if I told on him and I bet she'd say the same sort of things. CAN she tell the truth long enough to not have a headache?"

"Well if she can't she'll just have to be silent" laughed Fenella.

They went off to class with more camaraderie than they had ever had; and Monica was a happier girl than she had been for a very long time and it showed in her schoolwork; and as David said to the staff, hopefully now too her nightmares and sleepwalking would also cease and would permit her to have a decent night's sleep as a general matter of course so that she would be more alert and generally healthier.

"I feel very chagrined that I knew nothing about it!" Squeaked little Flitwick.

"Filius, you knew there was something wrong; when a child is so troubled sometimes it takes a while to break through to them. You WOULD have found out" said David "It took the combined efforts of Krait and Severus to get through to Dione Parnassus over several years; I'm sure Monica would have confided in you, your house adore you. It's just so lucky that Erica had exactly the right words to make Monica burst out with her distress, that and her worry over leaving Miranda. And it HAS been found out; we don't have a child busy committing suicide over her misery, and she isn't pregnant. And THAT is because she's not old enough to have a period yet poor baby. And I have to say, I got Ellie to sit her own and explain the processes of reproduction to her so she shouldn't think that she was dying and it wasn't something Foster caused when she DOES start; just in case her mother forgets to."

"Albus was quite rright in his choice, David" said Minerva "Ye're a fine man and ye think of everything; I dinnae ken that I'd have thocht ahead tae the puir babe thinking so, though I've had enough wee lassies howling over not knowing wha' wis the matter and one thinking she's been cursed."

"And the message also goes home that the new headmaster of Hogwarts is as fearless in dealing with those who interfere with his students as Albus Dumbledore" said Filius. "By the by, do we have a drains problem? I've noticed a bad smell occasionally out front of the school."

"I'll look into it and ask Argus too" said David.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

David followed his nose to the bad smell and found there Argus Filch having a slanging match with the two beautifully dressed and precious looking wizards who were making protests on the other side of the boggy bit of ground and it precarious looking stepping stones.

"Ar, well, perhaps we has hazards like this ter test the ingenuity of any visitors what arrive uninvited and unwanted!" Argus was saying "FACT finding mission you says, FAULT finding mission is what I says; account of how you ministry types was allus tryin' ter pull fault on Professor Dumbledore as is a great man and above the likes of you by so far you can't even comprehend it; ar, and you reckon that you can push Professor Fraser about now Professor Dumbledore is gone, and I'll tell you for a fact, that you can't. Professor Fraser is a great man too AS I can testify and as too could lots of deatheaters and werewolves if only they wasn't dead, which they are, account o' him. While you types slobbered and blubbered and wet your pants" he added viciously.

"Well I recognise Timothy Gregory" said David coming up beside Argus "Ravenclaw; year above me; stayed well out of the way while some of us fought the battle of Hogwarts. Dear me, Tim, I suppose now the law is going through that ministry of education employees have to work for a year in a school you must have come looking for a job; I'm sorry I can't oblige, Hogwarts has the highest standards you know and I have my duty to my pupils to provide them with at least ADEQUATE staff. Were you coming to see me?" he almost grinned when the Ravenclaw looked furious at being addressed by his first name and then called inadequate. Well it worked for Albus.

"We WERE coming to see the school – but this – this – THIS is in the way" said the older wizard.

"Dear me, so it is; there are stepping stones, however it appears for those who have not had the forethought to come in flying carriages" said David "Thoughtful of you to provide stones Argus when this phenomenon occurred."

"Ar, it were some o' the pupils kindly thought o' that" said Argus "Liddle Miss Lilith and her friends."

"Ah, of course; it would almost have to be" smiled David, promising himself a session with the Stripy Marauders when he had got rid of the ministry men "Do come over and take tea; I think I can make time for you, though as I said, it IS a wasted journey as I shan't be offering you jobs."

"We hadn't COME for jobs, Fraser, but to inspect you!" squalled Gregory.

"Oh, you've already done a year teaching?" asked David. Gregory scowled.

"Well no, but…"

"Oh, but NOTHING Tim; nobody is qualified to inspect a school who has never taught; nobody after all expects their animals to be inspected by someone without qualifications in care of magical beasts, do they?" he smiled genially "But do join me for tea anyway before you depart; don't be shy. You must have grown out of being a bit of a coward by your age, surely?"

The ministry men looked at the stepping stones with deep distrust; and Gregory threw caution to the winds and came on, holding his robes well up.

Naturally the noises the stones made were horrible and flatulent.

"Dear me, that DOES sound uncomfortable" murmured David "Did you want me to ask Poppy Pomfrey to find you a dose, Tim?"

"It was those stones!" squawked Gregory.

His companion followed more slowly with even worse noises as a result.

David wondered how it had been worked and resolved to ask later.

Argus was hiding a grin.

"I thought civilised folk said 'pardon me'" he said.

"But Argus, we're not dealing with civilised folk; they already identified themselves as being from the ministry" said David "NOT exactly class you know."

"The ministry can remove you, you know" said the older wizard.

"I'm so sorry – didn't catch your name – but if you've been told THAT I'm afraid you've been misinformed" said David smiling still "Only the governors can remove the headmaster; the ministry has a duty of care to youthful witches and wizards to be sure that the standards are maintained and to investigate any major irregularities – as well they should, though the interpretation of major seems to be defined of late by naughty attention seeking children writing anonymous letters – and to provide a standard exam for all subjects for all schools" said David. "Otherwise the employment of the staff is up to the governors; who are the sole owners of the school and have been since the reforms due to the irregularities caused by the ministry in trying to employ deatheaters in the school. SO sorry you've been so gull…er, misled."

The look that he was given was quite poisonous; and David beamed. That was how Albus played it; jocose and genial. It drove them half insane.

There was an intoxicating pleasure to this.

"My name is Wintringham, Fraser; and I have every right to make an inspection as my daughter is in the school" said the older one.

"Wintringham! inDEED!" said David "The father of Monica?"

"That's right" said the ministry man "You don't deny my right to inspect any more, I shouldn't think?"

"Oh actually I was thinking of getting in the aurors to have you arrested for child endangerment" said David softly "Monica Wintringham was abandoned by her father, as was her little sister, leading to the situation where the little girls were being interfered with by a clever pervert who played their abandoned and shocked mother like a fish; your thirteen year old daughter is NOT pregnant, but NO credit to you who left her and her sister and their mother. If you think I'm letting you anywhere near a little girl who's already been shocked and traumatised and who sobbed all over me that if her dad hadn't left for some piece of office totty – my description not hers but her words were not hard to translate – then you can think again. In fact, if the pair of you aren't back over those stepping stones and on your way off the school premises by the time I count ten, I will see you off; and I assure you, Tim will tell you that you will not enjoy the experience."

"He bites!" said Gregory in very real fear, turning to flee.

"What? A sure sign of unfitness to be a headmaster, it's most unnatural for a man to bite…."

"But not a dog" said David, who had been seeking for the skill to speak in animagus form from that part of him that was blood bound to a rakshasa; and he had changed.

Wintringham followed Gregory in an incontinent and flatulent flight across the stepping stones in fear of the big black dire-like dog.

"Bloody nuisances" said Argus with a spit "Get Hagrid out with his crossbow I say."

"Tempting" said David who had returned to his human form "But, I fear, a trifle impolitic. Interesting, is it not, how often the children with inadequate parents turn out to have parents working in the ministry; especially the ministries of education or regulation of under age magic. Something inherently childish in them perhaps."

"Flogging?" suggested Argus, grinning. It was a joke now.

David sighed and gazed at the bog.

"Did you know about this er, phenomenon in advance?" he asked

"Ar, them liddle kids suggested some way to keep ministry types out" said Argus "Clever idea if you arsts me."

"MMmmm" said David.

He stopped by the Ancient Runes class where Lilith and most of her cronies were to be found until break to catch them as they emerged that he might say,

"My office before lunch."

It may be said that the Stripy Marauders were in no wise abashed during DADA after break; they expected to be caught at some point.

oOoOo

"So you persuaded Argus Filch that it was a defence against the dark – er, against the ministry" said David.

"The bog of very long lasting stench? Yes" said Lilith "It's a perfect anti-ministry thing because we thought they were BOUND to hassle a new headmaster but the ministry's too mean to pay for flying horses to send them so they'd probably catch the train and then have to walk and they really don't like things that are unsavoury" she came up briefly for air "Whereas proper sorts of visitors like the governors come by flying carriage and won't notice nor the pupils because we use thestrals so isn't it just perfect?"

"Can Archie Trumball get his landie through it?" asked David.

Lilith considered.

"It's about three or four feet deep – I think – so probably, because he does have a snorkel; but he always comes across the quidditch pitch anyway except in summer when it's the cricket pitch too. Then he goes round but he still doesn't use the drive."

"Very well; you may leave it there to see how long lasting it is; and you can all write me eight inches on how you did it and how you got the stepping stones to make their er, interesting aural effects."

Lilith beamed.

"THAT was the tricky bit! We tied two bubble charms together, one that was permeable with preferential permeability from outside to inside to the gasses that are in the marsh so they fill up gradually; and the other one to act like the hydraulic joints in spider knees so when you stand on the stone it compresses the first bubble gently, pressing on the second bubble which, being permeable outwards under pressure, releases its gasses in a big smelly bubble with appropriate noises. We thought that if it was just one bubble the stone's weight on it might actually burst it. Fairly sophisticated, isn't it?"

David marvelled again at the degree of sophistication this small girl managed; and the aplomb with which she mixed and matched muggle science and magic.

"Fascinating" he said "Which in no wise gets you out of writing it up."

"Oh no sir" beamed Lilith "But I knew you were just itching to know and it would have been unbecoming to the dignity of the headmaster to ask."

David decided not to point out that it was also unbecoming to the dignity of the headmaster to be second guessed and to have that cheerfully spoken about.

"Go and have your lunch you pernicious princes and princesses of the land of stench" he said.

They went.

"That could have been much, much worse" said Sextus.

"Yes; he could have made us fill it in" said Kazrael "Crumbs, Lilith HOW you can talk; almost made it sound virtuous!"

Lilith grinned.

"I know David Fraser very well; he's kinda sorta almost my big brother" she said "And I know that he's as fascinated as me to know just how long it really IS going to last."

"Until the collecting charms on the loos fail I suppose" said Venus.

"Or until the bog dries up in summer, and if the charms are still holding we'll have to cancel them because a smelly bog is one thing but smelly dry land is something else" said Lilith.

"EEUW!" said Jayashree "It'd smell like Calcutta!"

"Any money on it, how long the swamp lasts?" suggested Gennar.

"You goblin git, it is NOT a subject for wager, it's a scientific and thaumoturgic experiment" said Lilith loftily. "Besides, once you start putting numbers onto things you invite the quantums in."

"What are quantums?" asked Jayashree.

"Things muggles use to confuse people and invent ways of breaking experiments" said Lilith; which so far as she could understand was about the main use of quantum physics.

"Oh like chizpurfles" said Venus.

Lilith brightened.

"That would explain a very great deal 'bout computers and how they work" she said. "Especially as a lot of the time they don't, not properly; because with high levels of quantums, weird things that nobody can predict can happen so they crash."

"None of us has much of an idea what you're talking about, shortstuff" said Sextus.

"No, nor have I" admitted Lilith candidly "I can WORK computers but like Oddball says in 'Kelly's Heroes', I don't know what makes them go!"

oOoOo

The Stripy Marauders did have some complaints about their bog when the third were permitted their first trip into Hogsmeade and had to cross by the flatulent stepping stones; mostly from Roxanne Shacklebolt and Hubert McLaggan.

"You're such a little girl, McLaggan" said Lilith, jumping from one stone to another with enough force to ensure a juicy mud fart each time.

"Maybe as the self-confessed most talented in the class, McLaggan, you should just fly" said Sextus, proceeding to do so himself, Lilith having taught them all.

McLaggan stared.

"You can't do that! It's impossible!" he declared.

"Whoops, I must have just imagined it then!" laughed Sextus "C'mon halfpint; Ethel Portree's sweetie shack awaits!"

It may be said that some of the older members of the school went cross country round the bog, dodging rapidly past the whomping willow and crossing the railway line illegally where there was no crossing.

"You and your lot are a pain sometimes Snape" said Sampta Patil.

"You really WANT to have the school full of idiot ministry creeps who think they can browbeat and bully our headmaster?" said Lilith "they must learn that he is a colonel in ze SS not some leutnant …. Never mind, muggle cultural reference."

"You talk a lot of rot too" said Sampta amicably.

"True. Fancy some quaffle practice later to hone you up for the match against Durmstrang?" said Lilith "And I say, what's wrong with using brooms to cross the bog of very long lasting stench?"

"Nothing; I just never though of it. Why didn't you?"

"I like making rude noises and Sec likes making McLaggan make spluttering noises" said Lilith cheerfully.

There was an indisputable logic in that. Sampta left off asking stupid questions. She only got stupid – if utterly logical – answers.

"So what exams are you taking this year?" asked Sampta.

"Three OWLs and three NEWTs" said Lilith "I talked very fast. I'm taking Enchanting, Herbology and Muggle Studies at OWL and I don't feel I know enough about any other OWL subjects yet that I haven't done, or I don't have the maturity; if I wrote a history paper f'rexample it would sound childish because my understanding and perceptions on history are too immature. So I thought I'd just have fun and do Arithmancy, Potions and Ancient Runes to NEWT because they're all nice and easy."

"Look here Snape, I might have got over you being a genius but that IS the sort of talk to make people who don't think them easy want to kill you a little bit" said Sampta with great restraint. "You're my mascot; and I must say I'm sorry you won't be taking Arithmancy beside me next year."

"You don't need a mascot; your mascot is hard work and natural talent" said Lilith. "I say, if I help you with your Arithmancy revision next year will you help me with Divination? It's not something that comes to me naturally – beyond the normal sort of hunches anyone might have – so it's frustrating because you can't pull a good grade out of the bag purely by application and hard work like you can with almost every other subject."

"You can get a fair grade though; I'm not gifted but I've learned to let my mind stand aside from my conscious thoughts; Madam Spikenard says that nine tenths of Divination is having the talent to let your subconscious add up clues you don't actually realise you're getting and the other tenth is actual foresight and remembering into the future."

"Crumbs, that's cool" said Lilith. "I'll try that then; it kind of favours people who aren't at home half the time then?"

"People who are good at Divination often are a bit dippy in other respects" said Sampta "I have to work quite hard to switch off my brain; people like that Hazel Spikenard who's a true seer don't have one to switch off."

"Miao" said Lilith cheerfully. "Mind you, outside of the Pepperingye Marauders that year really is the dippiest!"

"Yes; I'm waiting with malicious anticipation for Kettleburn and Ogden to have a fight on the edge of your bog over who gets to use the stones first and both fall in."

"That WOULD be rather delicious" said Lilith "Unless it makes the Head make us fill it in; he said we could keep it as a ministry trap to see how long it actually lasted under its own unadulterated steam only if people abuse our bog he might regretfully decide to shut it down. He's already had mileage out of it with two ministry types; Mr Filch told me all about it" said Lilith and proceeded to pass on how Wintringham and Gregory had been routed. Sextus had already shared it with Monica who declared that was another favour she owed the Stripy Marauders for making her dad look stupid. Or rather stupider because he'd already proved himself to be stupid by divorcing her mum to marry some hard faced office broom who jilted him for a richer one right before the wedding.

More people approved of the bog of long lasting stench than disapproved!

oOoOo

The Bog of long lasting stench was soon displaced in the minds of the school by the unfortunate disasters of Nancy 'Pustule' Dippet; who, in brewing hair raising potion, managed to not only raise her hair but to detach it entirely and see it float inexorably to the ceiling. Nancy, as bald as a cue ball, promptly had hysterics, which was a rare occurrence for the child who was generally down to earth and philosophical about her potion problems and brown thumb. Constance Hardbroom, totally perplexed, sent Lavazka Black Weasley to borrow Lilith Snape from Enchanting to see if the little girl had any idea what to do about the detached hair.

"Lumme, Pustule, you HAVE surpassed yourself" said Lilith when viewing the floating scalp. "I say, that's kinda almost rather clever in a way, you've taken just enough scalp off to hold it all together without actually hurting yourself; if you could make it a rubbing potion it'd make a mint for big people to use under their arms or on hairy legs."

"I say, do you think so?" said Nancy, brightening.

"Rather; selective depilatories are always in great demand" said Lilith. "Don't throw it away; if Great Aunt Connie will let us work on it together I can help you out."

"I WISH you wouldn't call me…. Oh never mind" said Connie "Can you put it back?"

Lilith cast the revellaspell.

"Ooer" she said "It has sort of rather got to be put back before the potion runs out or it might not re-attach" she said "I think it needs a chant; I might end up leaving it not raised any more though Pustule, sorry."

"I don't care; I just want my hair back" said Nancy.

"Scary hairy quite contrary, isn't fair on the unwary; chip-chop chip-chop back on the head!" chanted Lilith, dancing round Nancy several times and guiding the hair down with her wand to carefully line up on Nancy's head, whereupon she continued to dance and chant until she was certain it was growing in place again.

"THANK you!" said Nancy.

"Yes, thank you Miss Snape" said Connie.

"You're welcome!" said Lilith cheerfully.

She thought the use of twenty three syllables quite self evident and marvelled that Great Aunt Connie had needed anyone to help her; but if she could do what Connie could not she was more than willing to help.

oOoOo

It was fortunate that Nancy's hair was back on, thought Connie, and a less stressful class – the fourth – in progress when the Ministry Inspector arrived.

The inspector was ancient Madam Marchbanks who arrived by flying carriage and took tea first with David asking him what sort of nonsense those silly boys ,had been spouting about not being able to inspect the school.

"I am NOT, Madam Marchbanks, about to permit those with insufficient authority to march through the school upsetting my pupils" said David. "They had neither of them the required experience as teachers as is now required in law; therefore they were not qualified as inspectors. And too they had, apparently, intended to arrive quietly and start poking about without any by your leave; MOST irregular and reprehensible, especially since Draco Malfoy is investigating the older one to see whether there is any case to answer of him actually pimping his juvenile daughters to the man who had been interfering with them."

This had been Draco's idea to make Wintringham even more miserable for some revenge over what his desertion had put his little girls through; murmuring that it wasn't the answers that did the damage but the questions. As the questions started not with queries into whether he had known Foster but with the unanswerable 'how much did Foster pay you for pimping your daughters to him' Wintringham was NOT happy.

Madam Marchbanks sipped her tea.

"It's not entirely fair, David my boy; there has not been much time for those at the ministry of education to have spent time teaching."

"It's more than a year since the law was brought in; ample time for them to have done their year teaching; or at least to have shown willing with a term at least" said David grimly "They do not INTEND to comply; either that, or they can't get teaching posts because they're too incompetent to teach and so the only feasible employer is the ministry which seems, so far as I have seen as schoolboy and teacher, to employ idiots only, at least in the department of Education – examiners excepted, of course; one has to have a level of competency to examine" he added dryly. "They used the office to try to cause Albus trouble because they were afraid of him; and now they want to use the change of Head to attempt to wrest back control of the school by attempting to browbeat me because I'm young. They have forgotten I think that I bear the zig-zag scar and have ALWAYS been Albus', Severus', and Harry's man."

"You could be right at that" said Madam Marchbanks. "Dear me, what we academics miss in the normal daily round of backbiting in the ministry! More than a year – I'm sorry my dear boy, I hadn't noticed how time had flown. Actually, I'd say that no attempt has been made to have ministry staff emplaced as teachers; I shall make a report on THAT to the Council. I, however, have taught; admittedly only in a temporary post at a time when poor Galatea Merrythought was ill – a MOST unfortunate encounter she had with a werewolf – and though DADA was not my strongest subject I believe I fulfilled the post adequately enough. Even if I did tend towards transfigurational solutions in my teaching; a trend I understand popular with many of the pupils here, to turn dark wizards into stone for storage and subsequent retrieval for questioning."

"Since my time as a pupil but it does seem an eminently versatile way of dealing with enemies" said David "One I'd encourage. I understand we've also had pupils using _Piertotem locomotor_ from the second year except that they used the muggle incantation in the film made to cover the large scale use of the spell during the second Muggle World War. There are some creative youths at Hogwarts."

"Indeed yes; I stopped to observe the remarkably smelly bog that so upset those two" said Griselda Marchbanks "Ingenious bit of work; combining a number of disciplines I'd say."

"Please take one of the essays I had from the perpetrators as an imposition" said David, handing her Lilith's copy "Remarkably sophisticated for third years; I must say I left it in place to see how long it would endure rather than to specifically discommode members of the ministry; that's just an added advantage. I liked the noisy stepping stones and their careful construction particularly."

Madam Marchbanks was scanning through Lilith's essay with the swiftness of a skilled examiner busily looking for key points.

"Beautiful piece of work" she agreed "I can see why you're loath to let it be brought to a finish without seeing how long lasting it is; if it doesn't dry out in the summer, if they've made no mistake on their gas engulfing charms – dear me, how incongruous it is that small children should be simultaneously so sophisticated and yet so scatological – I can't actually see it ever running out. It appears to be quite self sustaining; using digging charms to hit the water table as well as using _paluster_ to make a bog…..ingenious! I had my coachman walk over the stepping stones to test them; I am not steady enough on my feet these days, alas, so I had to enjoy them vicariously. He indulges my little whims" she added, smiling. "However, as I was saying, I HAVE taught, so the ministry has asked me to make an inspection and produce a report on how well you are handling the school. And in my opinion the END of term would have been a better time to assess than the beginning."

"And, moreover, is none of their business" said David "How I handle the school is between me and the governors; NOT the ministry, unless there are major irregularities or the general level of academic achievement drops dramatically during my tenure. When they have the right to ask the governors what they mean by continuing to employ me. This is a private school; as much as is Prince Peak. And the ministry does NOT go poking around there."

"More probably THAT is because they fear Severus and dear Krait; they recall that she is Voldemort's daughter" said Madam Marchbanks.

David grinned.

"Care to frighten them by telling them that the bog was the concept and work of Voldemort's granddaughter? That they could not circumvent the work of a little girl who is only eleven years old? That they really want to worry when she comes into her true powers?"

"Dear me, how very tempting!" said Madam Marchbanks. "I believe I might just mention it in passing; you will permit me to inspect anyway?"

"Certainly, Madam Marchbanks; YOU have the needs and welfare of the pupils at heart. You'll be seeing more of Lilith in her examinations too; she's taking another three NEWTs this year, what she calls the easy ones, Arithmancy, Potions and Ancient Runes; and I couldn't argue because she's been brewing felix since she was six years old, knows more about Arithmancy than anyone except Septima herself and I suspect she probably knows more about runes than Lucius."

"What has the child run out of OWLs already?" asked Madam Marchbanks.

"No; but some subjects came new to her and she has the maturity to realise that she has insufficient maturity to write ably in History" said David "She's taking some OWLs as well. It keeps her occupied; and she's a merry child, full of mischief with no real vice; and she knows how to enjoy life."

"What of HIS son? He started this year, did he not? I wonder if it is a combined fear of how the boy may turn out with an inexperienced headmaster as well that has the ministry wanting to get involved? That they fear you will not be able to prevent a second Voldemort?"

David snorted.

"Then they are more imbecilic than I already believe them to be" he said "And if this is the case it'll be the first time they HAVE taken notice of a potential problem instead of sticking their heads in the sand; oh but wait, they only take notice of spurious problems so I suppose that runs true to form. Apparently they do not take any notice of what moulded Tom Riddle into Voldemort. Salazar Gaunt-Moody has a stable home background with a very able step father who's about as good as anyone can be at sniffing out dark wizards. If they think any trace of the Gaunt madness is going to get past old 'Constant Vigilance' himself they must have abandoned imbecility for serious forays into more than usually moronic ineptitude!"

"I can tell you were trained by Severus" said Madam Marchbanks dryly. "You should be aware by now that fear robs most people of logic and common sense."

"People who have any influence over the care of children did not ought to be drawn from those of such limited ability that they permit themselves to panic" said David uncompromisingly "Their duty is to retain their heads even if all around them are losing theirs."

"Speaking of which, is the rumour that nearly headless Nick has his head back on really true?" demanded Madam Marchbanks.

"Oh, yes! Lydia Snape sorted it out; asked if he preferred to be entirely headless or to have it solidly attached" said David "I gather Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore and friends made a noisy fuss so Lydia and friends splinched them all and apparated the pieces to enough disparate places that it will take them some years to rejoin themselves together. I wish I'd seen it; but I heard about it from Nick."

"Dear me! And to think of between her and Jade I always thought Lydia the quieter and less talented of the two!"

"She is" said David "But not by a great deal!"

oOoOo

Madam Marchbanks duly inspected the school, chatted to sundry pupils, heard Lilith described variously as an absolute darling and an interfering stuck up bitch – McLaggan had a ticking off for his language over that – and was invited on a picnic by the Stripy Marauders just because Lilith liked the elderly witch. Lilith conjured up a fey-formed invisible chair for Madam Marchbanks to sit in on the moor – the rest of them sat on the ground after using Parseltongue to politely ask any adders to depart – and explained that if she concentrated it would conform exactly to her shape to be comfier.

It was even more comfortable than the chair David had summoned when he was Head Boy; and Madam Marchbanks sighed happily.

Lilith was a great witch already; and nobody need have any fears that a child who had so much thoughtfulness would turn to darkness. Griselda Marchbanks recalled Tom Riddle very well; he was a youth who was always ready with conjured flowers for a lady, but he would never have thought about something so mundane as a comfortable seat!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The first, meanwhile, were settling down with more or less aplomb.

Bernard Higgs had come to grief again when he started ordering Sevvy about in the bathroom; and tried to order him to punish himself when Sevvy told him to get his own ruddy kit.

Bernard, who had dried himself after a shower but had forgotten to bring his clothes in found he now needed a dry towel since Sevvy objected to this and directed the shower to turn on again and spray at an impossible angle so Bernard got his second soaking of the young term.

"You do NOT order me about, Higgs; any oik will probably respond to nicely worded requests, but I am not at school to be the servant of some other weevil; and if you had important family you might have some excuse, but you don't and frankly that places you so much below me, a Snape of the line Prince, on the social pecking order I should be maybe ordering YOU about!" squeaked Sevvy.

Bernard goggled.

"Oh, are you Snape? With that towel wrapped around you I took you for a castle elf."

Sevvy stared.

"Are you trying to make me believe you're so stupid and unobservant that you can't tell a small boy from the usually adult elves that do chores? Don't make me laugh! Or can you really be that stupid? Good grief, then you're a total drip inside as well as outside."

Bernard had to paddle back to the bedroom for a dry towel and his clothes and subsequently got into trouble when Connie ticked him off for leaving so much mess the elves had complained.

Bernard was beginning to heartily dislike elves far more than he had once merely despised them; and was stupid enough to lash out on the first part elf he met, Michelle Makepeace.

Michelle had learned to try to see criticism without immediately assuming racism; but having a wand turned on her and being called 'elf bitch' was blatant enough; and she left Bernard with jellied legs, his wand thrown from him and glued to the ceiling with a permanent sticking charm and soap frothing from his mouth.

Makepeace then did about the first sensible thing she had ever done and went to Bella.

"It really WAS racism and I responded to it and I don't see why I shouldn't!" she began.

"Tell me all about it then brat" said Bella.

Being called Brat by Bella was normal enough for anyone under about fourteen; and Makepeace was only just thirteen so that was nothing to take exception over.

"A weevil called me an elf bitch and drew wand on me; I disarmed him and dropped some jinxes on him" said Michelle. Bella extracted some details from her and went to retrieve Higgs from his predicament with a promise to stand by Michelle, in whose eyes she read total truth; and had the insight too to commend the little girl for coming straight to a prefect.

Michelle was to remember that; and to recall that when she WAS in the right, Bella had been decent to her and fed her sweeties while she told her story.

Higgs claimed he had been attacked and bullied; and Bella asked him curtly if he wanted to make an official complaint whereat his lies would find him out; or whether he preferred to lay low and say nuffin' and chalk up being a snotty little racist to experience.

Higgs – foolishly – chose to make it official; so Bella carted him along to Connie Hardbroom and told that worthy that she had already used legilimensy on Makepeace and would like to see how much fiction this Higgs boy was capable of.

Connie listened to an impassioned diatribe which rambled into Sevvy Snape also trying to bully him with elf magic and him and his rotten friends throwing him in the lake just because he didn't want to sit next to subhuman things like a hag or an elf.

"Bella? What did you find out from Miss Makepeace?" asked Connie, disliking the boy's manner but knowing that Michelle had made unnecessary trouble before.

"Makepeace was pursuing her lawful occasions when she was abused and threatened by this weevil" said Bella "Who appears to have a down on elves because they won't be servile at him. Left to my own devices I'd make him toil all Saturday under the orders of a castle elf to teach him just what hard work they do that does not need the foolish interruption of silly little boys getting themselves into trouble; I'd also make Snape Tertius do half a day for adding to the work of the elves by getting the brat wet in the first place and not encouraging him to clear up after himself. Fair's fair."

Connie nodded.

"My prefects always have an excellent grasp of justice" she said. "I concur with the prefect set punishment; and Mr Higgs, if I were you, I'd accept that and ask me NOT to make this official because having your foolishness on official record will NOT look good in the future; when you are looking for a job, a lack of perspicacity and common sense and a lack of self control might just cost you a post, even if your egregious racism does not. I should in any case probably set you some similar detention to that suggested by Miss Black."

Higgs goggled. It had never occurred to him that future employers might see his official school records.

"I guess I'll have to then" he said ungraciously.

"Don't bust a gut" said Bella.

"Bella" said Connie.

"Sorry Auntie Connie" said Bella!

oOoOo

Other than Higgs, the first, on the whole, had no real problem children; unless one counted the interference factor of Ragnok; but he was, as Salazar put it, more harmless than otherwise and did not sneak about anyone being out of bed at night, merely wanted to know chapter and verse of what they had been up to and made it clear he was hurt not to be invited along. Balduk and Sebastian and Charlie, joining others seeking secret passages as a matter of principle, had him going for a while with highly embroidered tales of watching illicit duelling competitions amongst the upper school – being careful to specify no-one in particular and inventing when he got too nosy the fantastic masks the duellists wore – that stretched the rules of normal duelling. They voted Ragnok 'all right really' because he anxiously asked if all the participants were willing, that it wasn't some vicious rag; because if it had been they ought to tell a grown up or at least the head boy. It led to Ragnok peering at the sixth from time to time, wondering who was involved; but otherwise was a harmless piece of fiction, even if he did pester the friends to take him.

In Slytherin House, Faustina Bobbin was a bit pushy towards Slytherin's heirs; but took it when Salazar said,

"Look here, Bobbin, trying to foist yourself on us isn't an attractive trait; stop trying so hard and it might be we learn to like you a bit better. There's nothing wrong with you but a bit of encroaching; be natural, all right?"

Faustina had nodded and taken it to heart, being more remote but civil enough; and an ally to the girls when Cathy Barbary broke out in a fit of bossiness. Which Naomi and Bryony appreciated.

"My family wants me to push, you know" said Faustina, suddenly one night as they were getting undressed "I know I pissed off Gaunt-Moody but he's the sort my parents want me to know; like you, Bryony, because you're both descended from Slytherin, which I find fascinating anyway; but they won't like me liking you because of being a mudblood."

"Well if I was you, I'd make up my own mind and not let my parents dictate who to like and who not to like" said Bryony. "You know by now I guess what Marauders stand for; and that Marauders, whatever their birth, get kudos from the top drawer people. Well we decided not to Maraud but to support instead; but Naomi has two siblings who Maraud and so do other people in our year have it in their family; most of the ones we hang out with. You can think about if you want to stand by the principles of justice and fairness and fighting evil even if it goes against what you've been taught; and if you want that and you genuinely want to be friends then I guess you can run with our gang. We call ourselves the 'Lifemunchers' because we enjoy life rather than worrying about death like the Deatheaters who were silly gits."

"I guess I would like to think about that; my brother says there's a lot more things to know than we've been taught at home; and my sister does just enough to not get in trouble with the powers that be and sneers at them behind their backs. She made an awful lot about the new head being a mudblood; but I should think that if a mudblood can win a triwizard championship against pure blood contenders and get huge amounts of NEWTs then definitions of mudbloods not being as good have to be cockeyed."

"Oh my family never realised that muggles could reason and were fully sentient before the new muggle studies teacher came" said Naomi. "It's a shock to realise that we've been so unfair for so long; and really so stupid, because if muggles weren't clever they couldn't invent technology as an alternative to magic. I think muggle studies is really interesting now."

Bryony laughed.

"I don't; I grew up with all that so it's just having normal life explained to me all over" she said.

"Well I still don't think muggles are half as capable as Madam Jones makes out" butted in Cathy Barbary "Look at other talents than magic – art and music. Can muggles produce anything so sublime?"

"That piece you've been playing for the visiting teacher – it's called für Elise" said Bryony "Correct?"

"Yes; lovely piece" said Cathy.

"MMmm" said Bryony "My mum plays it on the piano for us; it's by a chap called Beethoven. Muggle composer. Great man. Composed his last symphony, the ninth, right inside his head because by then he was completely deaf. The last movement has a piece I think you know" she whistled 'Ode to Joy' "Which even the ruddy Germans reckon is good; muggle. Deaf muggle. Ruddy genius."

Cathy stared.

"I don't believe you!" she said.

"No? Then ask your music teacher; and if it's Mr Penfold, actually he's a muggle; Lucius Malfoy employs him to teach those who need it."

"I don't believe you! Mr Penfold is a brilliant musician! He taught my sister and he's teaching my brother!"

"Like I said – ask" shrugged Bryony "And ask your brother; he isn't a sandwich short of a picnic like you are."

Cathy flounced off to clean her teeth!

"Silly piece" said Naomi "No VICE in her but oh dear! When she gets an idea in her head it takes a crowbar to get it out!"

"At least I'm ready to listen" said Faustina.

"Oh you're all right" said Bryony.

From which beginning, Faustina joined the MSHG and thence almost drifted into being a lifemuncher.

As Griselda Greenteeth talked three of her dormitory into joining the MSHG too, there were representatives in every house; though Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were not so well represented as the other two houses. All the Gryffindors joined and all but three Slytherin; Wilfrid Trimmer who declared nothing was worth early rising; Bernard Higgs, who had not in any case been invited, and Cathy Barbary who declared that it would waste her practice time.

Her dormitory mates DID issue a poking to the Black twins and retrieve the notice stuck to Cathy's back saying 'I want to be a Ravenclaw, jinx me'.

"It's unkind to mock the afflicted" opined Naomi sternly.

The only real trouble the first had was from Nigel Baddock; who considered it his right to push his sister around, and when he could not get at her for being in Gryffindor Tower to get instead at those she chose to run with who stopped him from keeping her under his thumb.

He made the mistake of coming on Salazar, all alone in the common room early one morning, contemplating Ebenezer Malfoy's portrait thoughtfully. Baddock came up behind Salazar to whip his wand from his belt then grab the younger boy's arm.

"Pretty boy, aren't you, Gaunt?" hissed Baddock "Reckon you'd care if I burned your pretty face off; or maybe as you're as pretty as a girl I should transfigure your clothes into girls' clothes and leave you for the troll in the forest to find!"

"Poor Trurk, if you did that he might catch sight of your ugly face and die of shock" said Salazar with a calmness he did not quite feel "WHAT is the point of this, Baddock? Just a natural inclination to attempt fruitlessly to frighten kids smaller than you or do I act as a surrogate for Clymene and you comment on my looks to reassure yourself because you're afraid to take on anyone but a little girl?"

"You'll pay for that, brat!" Nigel started twisting the arm.

Salazar started chanting; in Parseltongue. Not for nothing was he Slytherin's heir; he could feel every stone in the Slytherin section of the castle respond to him and be under his control. Lilith had said that their blood was almost a part of the castle; she was right, he reflected, suddenly feeling calm in sooth, able to ignore the pain in his arm. Baddock was laughing a cruel laugh; he believed that the hissing issuing from Salazar's lips was the indrawn gasping of pain.

He therefore had a bit of a shock when the floor at his feet transfigured into snakes that began to wrap his body.

He let go of Salazar to try to fend them off; and suddenly realised, as Salazar spoke to the snakes and directed them that the boy was a Parselmouth, that he had done this. And as the snakes entwined and held and imprisoned his shivering body, Salazar spoke a word of command; and the snakes from the stones became themselves no more than stone; and Baddock encased in a tight cage of stone interwoven bars of stone snakes.

"Bye" said Salazar and went on his way to join – a little late – the MSHG run.

Baddock howled; but there was nobody there to hear.

oOoOo

It was almost an hour and a half later that the MSHG contingent of all ages clattered through the Slytherin common room.

"Someone's put a new statue in the common room" said Bella.

"Not a very pretty one; it looks a bit like Baddock" said Mimi.

"Someone has been unkind to stone snakes to make them associate with Baddock" said U-may.

"He wanted to try to torture me and make like I was a little girl because that's the limit to his capabilities" said Salazar.

"You take that back, Salazar Gaunt!" said Naomi "Reckon any one of us little girls can handle anything as direly useless as Baddock; he's a loser!"

"He's more decorative with his features half obscured by snakes" said Lilith "Why don't we turn him into stone to and just keep it as a decorative statue? We could always take a chisel to his features and make him an abstract art piece."

Baddock howled anew; he was never quite sure if Lilith meant such terrible things when she threatened them.

"Well now, Baddock, if you can make human noises and y'r actual speech we might just consider getting you out of there" said Bella. "But only if you say 'please nicely' to the Head Boy and all the prefects."

All of Slytherin's prefects were members of the MSHG; and apart from Gorbrin there was one other goblin and an elf, NOT Baddock's favourite people.

"I think as well as asking nicely we should lay a vow on Mr Baddock" said Gorbrin "To avoid his being bested so firmly and publicly by people so much harder than himself as first years obviously are. Excuse me you said something?" as Baddock howled a protest.

"No he's just making troll noises again" said Erica "Poor Baddock; looks like a troll, speaks like a troll, smells like a troll but doesn't have a troll's resistance to magic. Too bad."

"Please Malfoy" said Niobe "Last year when we made Wilfrid Crabbe into a teddy bear we were going to make him make an unbreakable vow to leave little kids alone in exchange for releasing him; but Lydia Snape said it was better to use a compulsion implanted. She made him see his worst nightmare then tied it to any mean or malicious thought or any action involving bullying by wand or physically that would deliberately hurt someone so he'd live in his worst nightmare every time he tried hurting people."

"Lydia IS rather good" said Gorbrin.

"Ha, stupid filthy gobbo, for all your swank you can't do anything like that!" called Baddock.

Gorbrin regarded him thoughtfully.

"Actually, I can" he said, certain that he DID know how, in his blood and in all the reading he had been doing in Lucius' library to understand the compulsions Tom Riddle used, to know how to fight against them in the future. "Lydia however has the imagination to consider doing that as a more subtle, far more ruthless and infinitely preferable way to keep malefactors on the straight and level than merely the unbreakable vow I confess I was considering; or the other curse that crossed my mind that of tying the stone snakes to your vow to leave off the kids in Hogwarts or the very stones here will once again attack you."

"Wow, Gorbrin, that would be so cool! How would you do it?" asked Salazar.

"By giving the stone snakes a continuing consciousness that sleeps within the stones and is a part of all the stones; using Parseltongue to do it because that would awaken that of the stone that is part of Salazar Slytherin's bequest and with the consciousness of the dead basilisk within it" said Gorbrin. "A tricky little chant but quite within my capabilities I believe. Thirty seven syllables to the chant to tie it to the heritance of snakes; a good prime number and made up of those other excellent primes seventeen, thirteen and seven. It would not be that hard to extend it to make the stones attack any bully; but it would be easier to have the stone snakes bite Baddock and absorb of his blood and tie their malice to him."

Baddock was screaming.

"He doesn't like that idea" said Bella. "Good old fashioned boggart compulsion then Gorbers old boy?"

"DON'T call me Gorbers" said Gorbrin. "All right."

He stared into Baddock's eyes; the boy could scarcely avert his gaze. And then Baddock REALLY started screaming. Gorbrin negated the visions in front of his eyes by closing his hand sharply into a fist. Lilith noted that everyone did it differently; Jade and Lydia did it by chopping their hands down, and daddy clapped his hands as a finishing gesture. No gesture was needed really, but of course it added to the showmanship and might have a psychological factor for the caster. It was a tricky piece of legilimensy and she was not sure how well she might herself perform it; making headaches was far simpler.

This was a lot more versatile though.

"Now then Baddock" said Gorbrin conversationally "Every time you try to hurt anyone smaller than yourself you will see your worst nightmare; and unlike a boggart you can't get rid of it with a _ridiculus_ spell because the only mind that's affecting you is yours. You do it to yourself; because that's the way this spell works. And a curse breaker would have trouble undoing it unless he's as skilled a legilimens as I am. Which means a Snape or my brother Draco or Professor Dumbledore. Stay clear of hurting people and you'll be fine."

"Just get me out of here!" howled Baddock.

"Dear me, I MUST be getting deaf in my old age; didn't here a single courtesy in that sentence" said Gorbrin.

Baddock ground his teeth.

"PLEASE get me out of here!" he said.

"Better" said Gorbrin.

"May I ask WHAT is going on? Mr Baddock? What is this?" demanded Madam Hardbroom coming in.

"Baddock fell foul of someone who turned out to be harder than he expected Madam Hardbroom" said Gorbrin "I was about to release him from durance serpentine. He has asked nicely; though if you want me to leave him there I must bow to your wishes."

"PLEASE get me out!" howled Baddock.

"Get him out" said Connie.

Gorbrin bowed beautifully to her and proceeded to chant in Parseltongue in an almost conversational tone. The stone snakes shifted, receded, returned to the stone floor from whence they had come.

"My goodness!" said Connie. "Whoever managed anything THAT sophisticated?"

"It was the Gaunt brat!" cried Baddock and then screamed with his hands to his eyes.

"What on earth?" demanded Connie.

"Little twist that if he starts wanting to hurt people he feels most unhappy" said Gorbrin laconically "He preferred that to an unbreakable vow or the stones being enchanted to turn back into snakes if he started bullying. He must be hoping to drop Salazar in it for defending himself against a fifth year bully I guess."

Baddock had himself under control.

"Malicious thoughts, remember?" said Lilith quietly to him. He scowled and then stopped hurriedly.

"Salazar?" said Connie.

"He took my wand and twisted my arm and made certain threats; I retaliated in a way that stopped him trying to hurt me but did not hurt him" said Salazar. "I AM allowed to defend myself aren't I Madam Hardbroom?"

"You are indeed my boy" said Connie "Mr Malfoy, I'm not sure this curse….."

"Madam Hardbroom; you don't know what his brother did to Jade Snape that got him expelled in the upper sixth" said Gorbrin tersely "That it is for Baddock's sake as well as that of the little kids that I would wish him to have something that will stop him going too far. He's managed to keep his nature in check to date; but he feels cheated of not having his little sister in the same house to torture and push around; this I read. And he's picking on her friends. This I tell you so you understand that this is better than letting him over reach the mark and getting expelled; one day he may live to thank me that I have given him a means to control the demons in his mind that urge him to hurt. The family has a sickness inbuilt."

"He's right" said Baddock, who was nobody's fool when he started thinking "It's like a red mist and all you want to do is to hurt someone. My kid sister is my prey; I can vent it on her. Only not when she isn't around. I don't like Malfoy much but I don't want to get expelled. Lionel Dell spoke to me when I started school, explained what Malcolm had been expelled for; and I controlled it and controlled it and controlled it but it's been wanting to burst out for a while. Now I guess it can't because it gives me different demons."

"If you were ready to ask for help, Baddock, we could get in a really skilled legilimens healer like Jade Snape or Professor Snape" said Gorbrin "They are WAY out of my league; and no I don't mind admitting that. Actually Lydia is also out of my league; and I shouldn't be surprised if Lilith is too. That family is spectacular."

"I'm still learning about the subtleties; you surpass me yet" said Lilith. "Though I think I'm a better legilimens than you. He DOES want help; mostly because he wants to be a part of society and not shunned not because he wants to be nicer, but y'know he isn't a megalomaniac and he doesn't want to force people to follow him, he just wants to be left alone."

"Which being so, Mr Baddock, I will take you to Prince Peak at the weekend for Professor Snape to see if he can help you" said Connie.

"And I say, Baddock, kudos to you for admitting it right in front of us lot" said Bella "Because it's a man that can admit to something wrong in himself and to ask for aid with it. Respect."

Others murmured assent. Baddock was not popular; he kept himself to himself and was inclined to find the pain and suffering of others amusing, which did not endear him to many. If it was a quirk in his nature that could be cured, then they would be ready to reach out a cautious hand of if not friendship then at least sympathy.

Baddock nodded.

Something felt good about the Belle Marauders – even the elf – giving him respect; he was not sure what or why. But it was pleasant.

Salazar held out a hand.

"Let's forget everything up to now then" he said "And I'll hope you can be given some help."

Baddock cautiously shook, half expecting the boy's hands to turn into snakes. This seemed to be something that was expected; and really he had little concept of what WAS expected, not in his instincts. Perhaps the formidable and legendary Professor Snape would be able to show him and then all the others would not be such aliens to him; and he would understand why they cared if any but themselves got hurt.

And then they all had to hurry not to be late for breakfast.

oOoOo

Once Clymene heard about the incident from other Lifemunchers she approached Madam Hardbroom and asked if she might go with her brother to Prince Peak in case she had the whatever it was wrong with her to ask if she might have it stopped before it started.

Madam Hardbroom agreed; if it was some familial trait it was better to nip it in the bud; though as this one had gone into a different house it seemed less likely; and so she told the little girl.

"But if you don't mind I'd rather be safe than sorry" said Clymene.

"I not only do not mind, I think you are wise to ask" said Madam Hardbroom.

oOoOo

In the event, Connie asked Ellie to take the two Baddocks; Ellie was a supernumerary and so could be spared better than a house head for a few hours. There were after all plenty of volunteers to babysit her small daughters, as well as the nursery staff in the orphanage wing.

Severus used deep legilimensy on Nigel Baddock.

"Ah" he said "I see; there is indeed a heritable problem here; it could be controlled to some extent with potions but I believe I can cure it. You worry about not being able to understand the rules of society; I cannot give you the instinct to know but I believe I can release the instincts to more readily learn. You have a condition called by muggles psychopathy; and fortunately in your case in a relatively mild degree, hence you have learned some rules of society, can interpret some consequences and have, by strong will largely managed to make the condition stay under control. I think as things stand I am probably one of only two or three people in the world who has a chance of curing you – and preventing it from passing to your children. And whether your sister has it or not, she may even so carry it in her heritance that she will wish to have removed."

"Yes SIR!" said Clymene "I don't want to have children who hurt each other and have the little ones hide from the big ones."

"I remember hiding from Malcolm" said Nigel suddenly.

"You know what he did?" asked Severus. Nigel nodded. Severus went on, "Back then, even had I not been so furious over what was being done to my little girl, I would not have known how to cure him; only recent research – by Lilith as it happens – has given me the tools to add to my not inconsiderable abilities in chanting. Pray lie on the couch, Nigel, and try to relax. This will take a couple of hours; indeed, you may wish to use the lavatory first, I shall not be stopping for anything nor will I permit you to rise."

"Thank you sir; I shall" said Nigel.

Soon Severus was chanting in his harsh chanting voice, calling forth Nigel Baddock's Malfoy lines and using the power of twenty-three factorial to leach the damaged gene from his heritance; then using twenty three alone to tie the chant to a human being, seeking out the gene on the boy's own chromosomes to destroy it and its powers over his thinking, changing the chemical composition of his brain to flush out its after effects. It took almost three hours.

Then Severus was sinking into his chair.

"It is done lad" he said. "There should now be within you the understanding that your sister is your flesh and blood, your kin; that anger should well up at the thought of anyone trying to hurt her."

"I – yes I see that" said Nigel.

"I took out Gorbrin's curse" said Severus "Useful for those who bully because they have learned to be mean, to make them unlearn; he could not know that your antisocial behaviour was driven by – well, a heritable illness. DO you feel gratitude towards him?"

"I guess I do" said Nigel "Because I know he doesn't lie; if he said he was thinking of me and not getting expelled I believe that. And if he had not spoken of that I shouldn't have known to speak up about how I felt, to tell Madam Hardbroom that actually I was glad that he was controlling the red mists that I could no longer control for myself. And he suggested coming to you sir. I reckon for a goblin he's not bad."

Severus gave a thin smile.

"Your parents have learned wrong truths and taught them to you because you cannot read society and so believe what is passed on by those who lie; it is not a case of 'for a goblin'. Look anew at goblins and elves; and ask yourself if part of your feelings are not a resentment that, previously low and despised creatures that they are, even so they could understand the rules that you could not. You had a secondary brain imbalance that often goes with high intelligence and that too I have sorted; it is what makes you feel an outsider. Life should be easier now."

"Thank you sir; with all my being I thank you" said Nigel, not needing to be prompted with the courtesy in his sincere gratitude!

Severus made cocoa before he examined Clymene and drew out her Malfoy lines.

"Well, my dear, I believe you have been lucky" he said "I will do a brief chant to ensure your children will not be affected; but there is only a narrow possibility that they might be even as it stands. Still, better to eliminate that possibility altogether, hmm?"

"Oh YES sir!" agreed Clymene.

Professor Snape's curing was much friendlier than being in St Mungo's too; and St Mungo's did not consider cocoa an essential part of the healing process!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The Match against Durmstrang was to be midweek to fit in around the German school's other fixtures; and was too something of a cultural visit as the Durmstrang team would do a day's classes with their English counterparts before playing the match. It was a tentative gesture of friendship and co-operation; and David looked forward to meeting Agata Bacsó under more friendly circumstances and with her now enlightened over the foolishness of looking down on the muggleborn.

Half the team were blood bonded to him too; and he had every expectation that those who formed half of the First Durmstrang Marauders would manage to get together with the Belle Marauders for something nefarious!

The morning of the Durmstrang arrival came and the big ship emerged through the lake.

"I still think it's posey" muttered Lilith to Sextus, covertly catching from a window.

oOoOo

Gorbrin welcomed the visiting Durmstrangers in his capacity of Head Boy; Madam Bacsó was clearly taken aback but managed to shake his hand as Zhanargul Nurtazin shook David's. Then he and Zhanargul were exchanging shakes; and Gorbrin took in the 'Hauptfraulein' badge on her uniform.

"Snap" he said. Zhanargul grinned.

"Yes, this year we have had an election by the prefects even as you English do; and I was given the confidence of the school" she said. "I have also the honour to introduce the team Captain, Stiv Molotov."

Gorbrin shook his hand and bowed, and Stiv hesitated only briefly before taking the hand of a goblin.

"Permit me to introduce my team; Zlatko Asimov, Seeker; Harald Trollkettil, Keeper, Zlatka Asimov, Zhanagul Nurtazin and myself, Chasers; Gisela Schutzmann and Sigismundus de Brujin, Beaters."

Gorbrin bowed to each of the boys, bowed and kissed the hands of the girls then introduced Meliandra as team Captain. She smiled.

"Sekunder Singh, Seeker; Gorbrin Malfoy-Tobak, Keeper; Sampta Patil, Jack Murray and Drusilla MacMillan, Chasers; self and Dunbar Finch, beaters" she said. On consideration Meliandra had picked the younger boy Dunbar Finch over Miriam Moonshine for a Hufflepuff; he played Seeker as general rule, but had proved a useful beater too and had an instinctive knowledge of how both to protect his own Seeker and attack the opposing one.

Everyone shook hands all around and they retired inside for refreshments.

And if Harald Trollkettil had any objections to shaking hands with a goblin he only cringed slightly because both Zhanargul and Zlatko stood on a foot each.

oOoOo

Harald was the youngest in the team, being in the fifth; and was rather put out to find that the youngest members of the Hogwarts team were Drusilla MacMillan and Dunbar Finch in the third.

"How is it that you, so young, play?" he asked.

"Partly it's politics" said Drusilla cheerfully "To represent every house in the school team, the older members of our house are rather duffers at quidditch; we've both been on the house team from our first year and hailed with relief as being fairly good. Mel didn't want to play either of the two older Slytherin because for one thing it would have looked like the Slytherin team and for another it would have read like the Malfoy team; she's Gorbrin's fiancée so she has to be more sensitive about things like that."

"She's marrying a GOBLIN? Are her parents then so poor they have no other choice for her?" demanded Harald.

"Careful laddie" said Jack Murray, joining the conversation "That's fighting talk that is; in England we do things differently; we wed for personality not race you know. The Bulstrodes are a wealthy and respectable family; though not so high up that they won't welcome an alliance with the Malfoys; Gorbrin is Lucius Malfoy's second son and in line to a decent inheritance if you were interested in the economics; which Mel isn't. But returning to the choice of players, there were several in the running and the Slytherin team IS strong at the moment; also because they do play talented kids from the first. You can't THINK how I resented my house policy of not playing anyone below the third; though now we have a second team in each house that does at least give the kids some games."

"So this little girl is not then the best?" said Harald.

"She does herself down in her modest self description; she is more than fairly good; she's extremely good" said Jack Murray. "I'd say she equals Damian Malfoy and Zajala Malfoy-Tobak even with their extra experience; so too does Dunbar who is a fine seeker but also proves more than adequate as beater. The other best beater in the school is also a Slytherin and is in the second; far too young to have to carry such responsibility, but she is captain of the second team and they have given us some good games so far."

He did not add that Xanthia Fawcett of his own house had thrown a tantrum over being expected to play in the second team under a Slytherin who was a mere babe and indeed to have had third year Huffers preferred over her; and thus was not on either team because she had decided to sulk. Jack knew, because he had been enlightened by Marauders, that this was why Ravenclaw had not been represented at all in the last school team to play Durmstrang because Cho Chang would not accept a position as chaser, ceding Seeker to Harry Potter and her whole house refused to have anything to do with it if their Seeker was not Seeker. Jack was very glad he had learned more sense than that!

"Ah? You are not of her house perhaps or are not a er, duffer?" said Harald.

"I'm in Ravenclaw house" said Jack "And the Montrose Magpies don't consider me a duffer because I signed up on a promise to play in the hols this year as second string Seeker to take over when I leave school."

"Jack's from a long line of quidditch players" said Gorbrin also joining what looked to be a slightly heated conversation.

"Why then do you not play seeker?" persisted Harald.

Jack laughed.

"Oh, Sekunder, Gorbrin, Dunbar and I are all seekers by trade but Sek is the best; so we ceded position for the chance to play on the all school team. It's silly to throw a hissy fit about such things, don't you think?"

Harald who would have thrown a hissy fit if he had been played as anything but Keeper merely scowled, because he could guess what the words meant even if the English slang was a little beyond him.

oOoOo

Harald was passed to Damian Malfoy to show around and to be someone he would know in lessons; Damian otherwise known as 'Faunus' for his fanatic interest in animals was, with Miriam Moonshine a reserve to play if a member of the team fell ill or had to drop out. Durmstrang requested professional rules which meant that no substitution might be made once the game was under play; and David was to referee. And it may be said that only Harald had in any wise questioned his ability to be impartial.

Harald was NOT happy to be in a class with five goblins or part goblins and two part elves; but having once made a few sly comments and found himself told that such talk was not tolerated by civilised folk – and that made him seethe as a pure blooded young wizard of wealthy and respected family – he subsided. He had the sense to know that the Malfoys were powerful throughout the wizarding world and had no intention of antagonising any of them; though finding that Zajala, also in his class, and Gorbrin were both counted full Malfoys was a shock; as was finding out that he had antagonised Drusilla MacMillan referred to as 'cousin' by Damian in a comment that quidditch seemed to run in the family.

oOoOo

Zlatka, Zlatko, Gisela and Sigismundus were happier in the class they joined in with in the Lower Sixth; the twins and Gisela were blooded and quickly gravitated to the Belle Marauders and Sigismundus struck up something of a friendship with Sita Patil, whose twin was on the team, being the better of the two at quidditch as Sita freely admitted.

And in the upper sixth Zhanargul and Stiv found Gorbrin and friends quite convivial too. One of the lessons was DADA and the visitors were pleased to see how this compared with their own lessons in Dark Arts in Durmstrang; though Jade had instituted more defences into the class, which tradition was being firmly entrenched by this year's teacher Clovis Gierek there were differences. Remus Lupin was covering inferii and revising dementors; and was delighted that both visitors could manage corporeal patronuses. They touched on other undead like Vampires and liches; and Zhanargul asked if she and Stiv might recount their first hand experiences of the previous year. Remus was delighted and they sidetracked cheerfully onto the lich Abaris and his magical life-sucking knife whom the older Durmstrang Marauders and dark arts class had helped Jade to destroy once they had enough clues to use Zlatka's skills of divination allied with a gizmo invented by Gorbrin's friend Albert MacMillan in his goblin metal-crafting classes.

Remus set his normal students nine inches on the undead with reference to the mindless and aware forms and not neglecting reference to the unnatural forms of Voldemort; and as they had a few minutes in hand granted the request of Ming Chang that they be allowed to teach the visitors 'There's a Zombie in my Attic'; on condition there were no more than five verses sung.

It has to be said that the tale of this went back to Durmstrang as a proof of how terrible and hardy were the English that they would make jokes and sing comic songs about even such fearful things as inferii.

The Durmstrangers did however confide that they had had a little bit of an interruption to their previous fixture with an incursion of Inferii – Zhanargul's wicked uncle having been broken out of Nurmengard by some unknown but conjectured agencies – that they had, they said, found quite instructive, including the way so many adults behaved badly and with quite embarrassing cowardice.

"It does rather bring home why Harry Potter and friends had to lead the fight against Voldemort" said Zhanargul.

oOoOo

Harald was set to sleep in the Slytherin fifth year dormitory as the Gryffindors were fairly cosy already without yet another; and that the Huffers could not cope with him and with hot tempered humourless types like Randall Corner and a further sulking quidditch playing Ravenclaw like Ferdinand Belby there would be likely to be a fight in Ravenclaw if he slept in their dormitory. Belby had never ever been in Meliandra's mind for the team; in her opinion he could only cope with a team if the letters 't' and 'a' were removed and the other two letters rearranged. Meliandra had every expectation of Slytherin taking the quidditch shield this year for the simple fact that they had a team and Ravenclaw had a collection of individually good quidditch players. Mad and Chad had really held their players together; now they had left school, though Jack and Sampta managed to co-operate, that was as far as it went. Simi Patil might be assumed to be likely to co-operate with her sister, and Sextus would play for house; but he would be playing a position he did not know as chaser, since he was used to being second team's keeper, a position Emerald Cherrytree would not cede to a younger boy! And though it was reasonable that a seeker as good as Jack would not give up position for Simi she too would not know the play of a chaser so well. Only Slytherin house routinely swapped its players around in practices just for fun; there were too many delicate egos in Ravenclaw to make it feasible.

Which all being so, Harald found he was actually sleeping in the same room as a goblin, Danzo gan Tokar, also known as Mercutio for enjoying the odd bit of stirring. And Harald might once have found an ally in Nigel Baddock; but with the new insights the boy's rebalanced mind was starting to find in relating to people, Nigel had no sympathy for anyone who could not try to see the point of view of others if they were quite normal. And indeed a fight broke out when Harald complained about sleeping in with a goblin; because Nigel asked him in genuine concern if he had considered that a lack of control over understanding others might perhaps be some medical condition that might be cured; which Harald took as an insult and went for wand.

Cecil Burke and Pericles Bullivant quickly disarmed, immobilised and dropped langlock on him while Rowland Cooper applauded politely and Danzo chuckled.

"Baddock meant the question in seriousness, Trollkettil" said Cecil "his family has had some tolerance problems and it's been tracked down to a brain imbalance. He wondered if you might suffer the same though in my opinion you manage to be a dirty little racist on your own. Releasing you now; I suggest you act civilly and try not to irritate the rest of us again."

"Who'd want to be – cured – of proper feeling about lower beings?" sneered Harald.

Danzo laughed.

"Poor little creep; hasn't got a CLUE" he said. "Hey, Baddock, you did your best; just assume that a lot of Durmstrang types don't operate under the same social rules the rest of us do. He came close, I hear, to insulting our head boy by refusing to shake hands with him; and if he HAD refused he so would have been going home with a load of jinxes. Not cast before the match of course; THAT would have been unsportsmanlike. But after…so if I was in the poor sad little git's shoes I'd lie low and keep racist views to myself."

Baddock nodded; the explanation about why they would not jinx this foreign boy before the match was an explanation for him; the boys of his dormitory were being very good about explaining what behaviour was acceptable and why and Nigel appreciated it. He had already learned by observation that goblins and indeed elves performed no less well in class than anyone else; they were not pleasing to look at but then nor was his wealthy Aunt Clymene, after whom his sister had been named; Aunt Clymene looked as though she had been dead several months. And Danzo had been decent to him over this business; and now he understood what being decent was by feeling as well as in the abstract.

The fifth form Slytherin boys therefore proceeded to ignore Harald.

oOoOo

Zlatka and Zlatko spent large portions of the night being shown some of the secret passages by the Belle Marauders; Zlatka was housed in Gryffindor Tower as was Zlatko; Sigismundus and Gisela were in Hufflepuff. The Asimov twins might, after all, draw on the blood group to offset tiredness in the morning, which was only fair. And they had a great time in the passages that followed the chimneys; and the Belle Marauders invited them into the marauding room in case they ever needed a refuge that was under fidelius charm outside their own school's marauding room.

Zhanargul had a peaceful night sharing with the four upper sixth Gryffindor girls who were all happy to be friendly; and Stiv found himself in with the three remaining Slytherin boys, Gorbrin, Wilfrid Crabbe and Erasmus Bobbin. Bobbin had learned many lessons over the years and had learned to more or less tolerate goblins, though he was wary of foreigners; on the very British principle that an English goblin was better by far than any foreigner. And Crabbe was mostly neutralised after having been teddy bear'd by the first of the previous year.

oOoOo

Breakfast was early to make use of as much of the light as possible if a long match ensued; and then the game was under way.

Durmstrang were first to get into a scoring position; Zlatka, Zhanargul and Stiv worked very well together, and Stiv prepared to shoot.

He was NOT prepared for Gorbrin to stand up on his broom to field the quaffle and hurl it downfield towards Jack Murray.

Durmstrang had a game on their hands.

And Harald was a good keeper but no genius; and the Hogwarts team confused him with a lot of back-passing, initially a Slytherin speciality that the rest of the school had started to copy and that Meliandra had insisted her chasers drill in ruthlessly.

It was an interesting game; the Durmstrang team were stronger in offence; the Hogwarts team were strong in defence, with Meliandra particularly a strong and accurate beater – who also confused the opposition with the occasional cry of 'howzat?' as she hit the bludger – and Gorbrin's broomsurfing. Gorbrin could not pull off the sort of broomnastics that Lilith could but he had practised some such antics secretly after having seen a muggle circus; practising over the ornamental lake at Malfoy Manor for a softer landing if things went wrong. And he could manage a grand circle to extend far enough to kick the quaffle away, into a Catchev with a half twist in order to bring himself back to a point where he might straddle the broom again. It seriously confused the Durmstrang chasers; though they did begin to settle down to some serious scoring once they had got the measure of Gorbrin's strange tactics and tried to position themselves to catch the quaffle as he knocked it away to score as he was regaining equilibrium; it took some precise timing and throwing and did not always come off, but Zlatka particularly seemed adept at guessing where the quaffle was going to go, more a result of her innate ability with divination, thought Gorbrin, than a connection to the blood group; HE did not always know where the quaffle was going to go if he did not catch it full on with a kick away. She could exploit the weaknesses of the defensive strategy of broomnastics; but then one was no more vulnerable between Catchev and reseating oneself than in the regaining of the broom for sitting on from the more conventional starfish and stick tactic.

And this was a tough team.

Unless Sekunder got the snitch quickly, Durmstrang would carry the day.

Both Sekunder and Zlatko had tried the Wronski Feint to no avail; both had avoided carefully aimed bludgers from opposing beaters. Zlatko tried the tactic Jade had shown him of trying to make Meliandra and Dunbar take each other out by flying between them; but Meliandra was certainly wise to that tactic – Jade having still been on the Slytherin team when Meliandra was a neophyte on it in her second year – and she knocked her own bludger with a flick of the wrist that curled it after Zlatko and rocked the tail of his broom, dodging the less skilfully aimed one from Dunbar.

Sekunder too was not about to be caught out by a tactic Zlatko had used the previous year when he had flown right through the scoring ring and had the satisfaction of seeing his opposite number try to follow and stick; Sekunder was even skinnier than Zlatko anyway as well as being nobody's fool. He had already been signed by the Pazardzhik Phoenixes, from which team most of Bulgaria's national team was drawn; quidditch not being big in his native India and Sekunder happy to play for the team of his hero, Viktor Krumm.

The snitch itself was the undoing of both seekers; neither noticed the other turn sharply as it swooped and fluttered between them.

The crash as they impacted head to head could almost be felt by the rest of the team and the crowd; and there was a collective groan of sympathy.

The blood group, once ascertaining that there was no real hurt to Zlatko, refrained from using their connection to bring him back to consciousness; it would not have been fair.

And Madam Pomfrey insisted that both be taken off.

"Play until fail of light and then declare the score to be as it stands or see if they'll play on tomorrow?" asked Meliandra to Stiv.

"None of us can afford two exhausting days playing on the trot if we can avoid it; we'll make declaration when light is called" decided Stiv. "It might have been fun to play on if they were ready tomorrow; but it IS only a game and we DO have our exam subjects to think of."

"Agreed" said Meliandra.

oOoOo

In the event, it was the Durmstrang team who was ahead on points at close of play; and the Hogwarts spectators cheered them politely, with real warmth for the good play.

It had been a long time since Durmstrang had won any kind of match, quidditch, duelling or triwizard, over Hogwarts; and Zhanargul, thanking the English school for its hospitality over supper mentioned this and said that in her opinion the result was down to Jade Snape who had taught Durmstrangers how to co-operate as a team and indeed as a school rather than compete; because the whole ethos of years of interference from Odessa had eaten away at morale and moral judgement too.

"We have a new era ahead of us" she said "Where our schools may compete in a friendly fashion, the battles hard fought but without real malice. And we have this too to thank the English for; thank you. We'll be back another time to see if we can't do it again!"

She was cheered.

The Durmstrangers stayed over one more night and left early next morning after breakfast to return to their own lessons.

It had been a good match; and one the team felt they had lost with honour.

And the Belle Marauders had a new twist on an old jinx to pass on; for it seemed that the most junior marauders in Durmstrang had come up with a variant on the fluorescent fart jinx that had farts glowing in the dark that Zlatka and Zlatko had felt it their duty to pass on!

oOoOo

Life returned to normal, which in the first in Slytherin House meant that Cathy Barbary was having a fit of the sulks because she had confirmed from her Music Teacher that not only was Beethoven a muggle, and so was he, Professor Penfold; and so was Mozart. Cathy was threatening to give up music lessons rather than learn from a muggle, who could not be as good as a wizard.

Connie asked David to intervene, Professor Penfold being quite upset about it.

"Miss Barbary" said David "I understand that neither your brother nor your sister have any complaints about Mr Penfold's teaching; what makes you consider him unsuitable?"

"How CAN he know anything sir? He's a MUGGLE!" said Cathy.

"Young lady, I think you may wish to consider a moment and then apologise for insulting both my parents" said David grimly "Who both knew a very great deal. Have you learned NOTHING in muggle studies about muggles? Apart from the art of magic, they are in no wise different to wizards and witches. Had you wished to learn the use of magic in music, then Mr Penfold's services would have been inadequate; but only Prince Peak and Durmstrang teach those subjects. And you could, had you been so inclined, have asked to go to Prince Peak with your sister. Are you ready to apologise?"

"I – I did not mean to insult you sir; but – but music is a talent like the art of magic; surely muggles are blind to talent?"

"You ARE a silly little girl!" said David "They are blind to ONE talent – magic. Or rather, some are as you might say partially sighted; amongst those we class as muggles there are those – had you only been listening in class – who are sensitive and who see goblins as they really are; and there are those who COULD learn magic, having as much ability as some of the near squibs we do take for their familial connections but who it is generally uneconomical to train as a matter of course – as things stand. And where they are siblings or cousins of the muggle born we DO train them. Professor Penfold is a sensitive though he has not enough talent to use magic. And he is also a sensitive man in other ways in that he is talented musically AND rather hurt that you flung out of his lesson so rudely. Whatever else you decide concerning your music, even if you decide to cut off your nose to spite your own face, you WILL write him a letter of apology for your rudeness; and bear in mind that as he has been contracted by your parents to teach you for this year, I see no reason for him to be out of pocket over your childish tantrums and your parents WILL be billed; as well as informed if you decide to dispense with his services."

Cathy was aghast.

Her parents would NOT take that kindly; they were well off, but not to the extent that they would write off the cost of her music lessons to save her face – even if they had been likely to want to save her face, and Cathy had a shrewd idea that she would be in trouble for obstinately holding onto an idea when it had been demonstrably proven wrong. As deep down she knew it had been proven wrong.

"Perhaps Mr Penfold won't want me back as a pupil even if I apologise and will cancel the contract himself" she said hopefully.

"You do NOT wriggle out that way my child" said David "Mr Penfold has kindly said that he will overlook your rudeness so long as you apologise as teenage girls can have reasons to be temperamental. If I do not hear that he has received an apology in his pigeon hole by supper this evening I shall be writing to your parents."

"I – I'll write it" said Cathy.

She enjoyed her music lessons if truth be known; the description of cutting off her nose to spite her own face was an apt one. She just hoped that Mr Penfold would not hold it against her.

oOoOo

Mr Penfold was more than willing to forgive; he had liked teaching Sara and still enjoyed teaching Heath; and had anticipated having as good a rapport with this next Barbary child. Her attitude had shocked him to the core; but she was newly away from home, and young girls could suffer from hormones; he was willing to find excuses for her.

And he certainly felt certain that she could not be so irritating a child as Tancred Dagworth whom Penfold privately thought of as a self opinionated sanctimonious little twat. She might not be so convivial a pupil as her brother Heath and his friend in the same year, Philamon Graves but she had enough talent to make teaching her an easy enough task.

He only wished he might offer his students the use of magic in music; but those who were sufficiently interested might transfer to Prince Peak for that, or go as a year of post NEWT study. His job was to prepare them for that if they wished through competence in music itself; or to take their music as far as they wanted, either for their own pleasure or in musical careers like Sara, Heath and Cathy's uncle Heathcote Barbary of the group the 'Weird Sisters'.

It may be said that the other three girls in Cathy's dormitory had no interest whatsoever in her tears and the imposition of an apology; as Naomi said, being so horrendously rude was almost muggle baiting. They proceeded to ignore Cathy and her dampish sniffs.

oOoOo

The first in Gryffindor had plans involving fireworks; at least, Seb Rice, his friend Balduk, and a newly converted Charlie Rawlins did.

They decided not to involve the girls; fireworks were a boy thing.

They accordingly set up a pressure sensor spell – which had taken several hours in the library to track down – and used it to detonate a load of fireworks when it was tripped. They placed it on the main staircase, and as the main body of the school descended towards breakfast the detonations were both loud and colourful.

The fireworks might not have been as good as the commercial ones sold by the likes of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes; but they were entertaining enough except for gentle Emma MacMillan who jumped with the first bang and slipped on the stairs, sustaining a nasty sprain to the ankle and a scraped leg.

Sebastian MacMillan, normally a quiet lad, decided that family honour needed satisfying over his cousin's mishap and after ascertaining that she was in the care of appropriate and capable girls took a swing at Seb Rice.

The ensuing brawl became known as the 'Battle of the Sebastians' and was quite disgraceful and unseemly; the only good point being, as Madam McGonagall said tartly when she broke it up that neither had broken school rules by going for a wand.

This was only because Sebastian was too angry to think with anything but his fists and Seb was too used to fighting in a muggle fashion but they both contrived to look shiftily smug about it.

They were to return an essay of no less than six inches on why society has rules for civilised living; and Seb, Balduk and Charlie – the other two having owned up rather then let Seb take the full brunt of a McGonagall in full sail – Charlie's description – lost Gryffindor house fifty points and were required to spend their leisure time scrubbing soot marks and making the entrance hall pristine.

The sight of McGonagall managing to remain austere and dignified with a lock escaping from her bun and a damp robe – she had separated the boys with a stream of water from her wand like dogs – soot from a stray firework on her face and absently brushing away a shoal of cotton fish that had swum out of the great hall to see what was going on filled Lilith with the greatest of admiration for the elderly transfigurations professor.

It had been a pretty good fireworks display even so; and a shame that poor Emma was so nervous.

Naturally Lilith had fixed all of Emma's wounds without bothering to wait for Poppy Pomfrey.

She also confunded the fish into swimming back into the great hall where they belonged.

Well they did now.

It was purely a myth that was put about by the Pepperingye Marauders that the cotton fish took umbrage at the kippers served for breakfast.

They certainly swam about serenely this morning after their excursion while kippers were served, and the Stripy marauders, cheerfully stimulated by fireworks sat and sang 'American Breakfast' with slight changes to the lyrics that now ran,

"Can we have kippers for breakfast, Fido dear, Fido dear" because nobody had a clue what they were on about anyway and only other marauders recognised David's not-marauder nickname.

David dropped a very personal sonorous spell on them to call them a bunch of wee sumpfs.

It was, after all, that time of year when spirits tended to run a little high after all; as the weather had only held until just after the match against Durmstrang.

oOoOo

It would be worse in the spring term and enough water in the ground to cause the bog of very long lasting stench to spread too, no doubt.

David DID wonder if it would survive the summer!

If it did…. Well, magical schools were supposed to have their own weird and wonderful pitfalls as well as the weird and wonderful denizens; like Peeves, who had taken to wearing a facemask, snorkel and flippers in the great hall and swimming around it with a very bad front crawl.

And to think in his own young day one had only to avoid the whomping willow, the feral Ford Anglia and deatheaters.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Gorbrin, as head boy, felt it behoved him to set a region where the cotton fish were permitted to swim; and proceeded to do so, as well as setting a prefects imposition on the singers of 'American Breakfast' for infernal cheek, since even if it was beneath the dignity of the headmaster to take any notice it was NOT beneath the dignity of the head boy.

The Stripy Marauders listened meekly and set off to inscribe all the silly words of the silly song – Gorbrin's description – correctly for him.

Gorbrin wanted the Stripy Marauders well and truly squashed as he was about to begin brewing Felix Felicis.

It was a very difficult piece of brewing and required among other things an enchanted potion to start off with to catch and store sunlight; and there was precious little of that about. He would set his sunlight-catching bottle on the roof and check it periodically in its specially made prism-cut vial. Felix could be brewed quicker in summer because of this; but he might not have time before the exam. He had prepared a second vial – just in case – to set up in the last week or two before the exam if anything happened to this batch; or the sunlight was not strong enough.

David saw him with the vial in his hands.

"Weak sunlight this time of year" he commented "I suppose you weren't allowed to get it going in the holidays?"

"No sir" said Gorbrin.

"I'm happy to grant you permission to apparate to the south of France and ask Madam Maxime to set it up on HER roof; I'll give you a letter for her if you like" he said.

Gorbrin beamed.

"Oh would you, sir? That would be splendid!" he said.

"Word to the wise" said David "Hide it; and maybe set up a dummy one too. I don't THINK there are any egregious blood snobs in Beauxbatons – they're too laid back – but you know, some foreigners can be odd. Look at that boy Achille Crouch-Villeneuve."

"Not if I can help it I shan't" growled Gorbrin "The git used the cruciatus curse on our Bella; and he was none so pleasant even to members of his own house. Glad I don't have a problem brat like HIM in my tenure as head boy. I'll take your advice, sir."

"I'm happy enough for you to use my first name when we're private, Gorbrin" said David "That goes for all my prefects. Oh, pass the word, I'm having a tea party for the prefects on Friday after school; I'll have you all individually for tea too but I want to run some ideas past you all first that I need your help to enforce."

"Sir" said Gorbrin. "I WILL put this one on the roof; and I'll take my second vial to France" he decided.

David nodded. It was like Gorbrin to be cautious; and well he might.

oOoOo

Gorbrin found himself enveloped in the massive embrace of Olympe Maxime after he had apparated to just outside the school and asked to see the headmistress.

His beautiful speech and Hogwarts uniform had seen him quickly to the headmistress' office and he handed her the letter David had written; hence the embrace.

"Daveed Frasair ees such a clever boy – no MAN – to sink of zat!" she beamed "Of COURSE you must use our sun; and what a clevair potioneer you are to brew ze Feleex for your ELF – no, NEWT you Eengleesh call zem!"

"What ARE your exams called, please, Madame Maxime?" asked Gorbrin, interested.

"Our lower level exams we call ze ELM, ze Examination Lycée Magique; the upper level, ze ELF is ze Examination Lycée Formidable" said Madame Maxime.

"And much nicer acronyms than the pedestrian German ZP and ZH" said Gorbrin "Have you a five-way lower level exam like our DOE and the new German ZAP?"

"Ah, bah, zeze Germans!" Madame Maxime dismissed the whole nation with a wave of the hand "Indeed yes, we 'ave ze EGG, ze Examination Gagner Général. We 'ave too the discretionary ability in our exam board to issue zis new exam where students 'ave failed most of zere ELMs so zat zey may 'ave some qualification; and of course credit for zoze exams zat WERE of sufficient grade."

"That's not a half bad idea; I'll take it back to Professor Fraser and see if he can't get our exam board to accept it" said Gorbrin "Most of our lower grade students MANAGE five OWLs but they don't always pass all the core subjects; a DOE to show they've covered them would be a really good idea."

Madam Maxime beamed.

"I should 'ave thought to mention it in ze symposium" she said. "Now come wiz me and I shall take you to our roof for your bottled sunlight."

oOoOo

The French Chateau's roof was less easily accessible and explorable than Hogwarts; and Gorbrin was glad. It made it less likely that anyone would find his vial by accident. He set up a number of anti-tamper spells in any case. He chanted softly; anyone who tried to touch it who was not of his blood would first get a shock akin to the instinctive protective charm; and if they persisted would find their fingers turned into celery. And no way to turn them back without a half competent chanter either.

He set up the second one with as much care, the one that was the dummy; and made sure that this was the one that was most obvious if anyone came poking about.

"You are most careful" said Madam Maxime.

"I do not rule out either saboteurs of a goblin's work, or daft-like juniors" said Gorbrin "It's why there is the warning shock first as should deter any silly children. Thank you very much, Madame Maxime; I must be going now."

"Ah no, surely you will stay and 'ave dinnair wiz my students?" cried Madam Maxime "We must show ze 'ospitality to our Eenglish friends, and ze Eenglish head boy!"

Gorbrin would have preferred to have gone home; but politics dictated so he accepted politely and asked that he might fire talk to Professor Fraser to check that he had his permission.

David was happy for Gorbrin to meet French students socially; so Gorbrin hid the sigh, smiled nicely to Madam Maxime with his best bow and was taken inexorably to meet French sixth formers.

They seemed mostly harmless; taken aback, perhaps, to meet a highly educated goblin, and Head Boy at that; but most of them had heard of Lucius' goblin wife and his adoption of her children and treated him with politeness and, it has to be said on the part of some of the girls, coy flirtation.

Fortunately Gorbrin was used to the concept that his name and wealth gave him a sex appeal to make up – in the estimation of many girls – for him being a goblin; and fenced and flirted back with the insouciance of any Malfoy.

He was not unused to French food; Lucius was inclined to either dine out with his family from time to time or to hire in a foreign cook of one kind or another to ring the changes and to give his elves an evening off. Anyone else, of course, would send out for a takeaway; but that was Lucius for you.

oOoOo

Gorbrin returned to find that nothing of major note had occurred during his absence unless you counted the Lifemunchers changing into bathing costumes with snorkels to use hovering charms and attempting – with more or less success – to swim around the great hall.

Professor Flitwick had happened upon them and praised their hovering charms and dispersed them firmly.

Flitwick was actually delighted that first years should manage such competent hovering charms, and too praised loudly the ingenuity of the children in trying to charm the air to make it act enough like water to swim through it, and some of them actually succeeding!

The ones who were succeeding were, unsurprisingly, the four blooded – Sevvy, Tarquin, Candace and Naomi who shared ideas naturally; and Salazar who was just talented. The rest had thrashed wildly, giggling.

oOoOo

The Friday tea party came around and the prefects gathered curiously in the headmaster's office, having been given the password for the week, which was the Chuddleigh Cannons. They drank tea and ate sandwiches and cakes served by the headmaster's wife; and David chatted genially and refused to discuss anything serious until they had finished tea. Then they sprawled cheerfully on cushions and chairs– it was a squash getting all forty in – and the new headmaster began.

"As you all know I have been teaching in Prince Peak for some years" he said. "Professor Snape inherited some physically delicate children there; and instituted a system he had long considered anyway, whereby schoolwork was NOT to be done by hook or by crook at all hours. Prep is to be done only in designated periods; and never after a certain time at night, as set by age. Naturally, Astronomy is outside this rule because of needing the night time for stars; but in general, Professor Snape has found that he has students who learn better and are more alert for resting at the proper time. I recall, as a pupil at Hogwarts, that one might always come upon someone scribbling away at odd times in the common room or even the bedroom. I want to ban the bringing of school books into common rooms and bedrooms and designate some of the classrooms therefore as form and prep rooms, with lockers for school books. I will not ban reading around the subject in extra library books or learned magazines in the common room; particularly in light of the fact that there ARE plenty of people who consider that the likes 'Transfigurations Today' is light reading; I confess I'm one of them" he added. There was laughter.

"And 'Divination – Tomorrow!' counts as fiction" quipped Bella

"Alas, often enough too true" said David. "The point is, I'm not banning light research in the comfort of the common room but I want all schoolwork done in a school environment. And I can't do it without the co-operation of my prefects to roust people and their books out, and set minor impots for breaking rules. The staff are dubiously enthusiastic; Severus Snape does produce undeniably good results from his pupils, even those who have NOT been subject to the entrance exam he has now instituted. Growing bodies need a balance of work, rest and play."

"What happens if we have not, with this rule, been able to complete homework assignments?" asked Norman Whytely.

"Then Norman, the staff will know that you are weak on their subject; or if the rest of the essay is strongly written that you have left your strong subject to last and will try to find out what you are so weak on it took you too long to do" said David. "In fact, I would suggest – as has become custom at Prince Peak – you should allow a certain amount of time for EACH assignment and stop after the allotted period; this will then not penalise your strong subjects and will permit the staff to see where you are weak. Those who have weakness may be allotted extra remedial periods but such will be carefully regulated by the staff rather than risking poor health, eye strain or hysteria. Having hysterics as the exams approached was considered normal in my young day; even with some of the sillier girls we started Prince Peak with, we have never had so much problem with better rest and decent recreation. I will too be enforcing breaks in revision over the Easter holidays" he added. "Tired minds do NOT assimilate facts. Harry Potter could have been at least a straight 'E' student, maybe scraping 'O's in more subjects had he not been continually tired from the strain of the ministry's interference and having to counter attacks by Voldemort. He got his grades to be an Auror – mostly because Professor Snape, as his guardian, made him loosen up in his last year after Voldemort was dead. Will you help me out in this – and by setting an example?"

"May I suggest, sir, you might put it to the school that it will be a trial period of say three years?" suggested Gorbrin "If it makes a big difference then it's vindicated; if it makes no difference at all you can forget to rescind it for the good of the health of the students; and if, as seems unlikely because I would never dispute anything Severus Snape decided, it is a disaster you can rescind it. I think it's a good idea; I very rarely work in the common room personally and only if the prep room, being a bit of an all age bear pit, gets too noisy. And now of course I have my study. Are the sixth to supervise preparation to make it a bit more disciplined so the kids actually DO settle down to work?"

"Yes" said David "It's another duty for the prefects; BUT as a reward, I'm setting up four man studies for the prefects as a privilege and a prep room cum library for the sixth in general. I'll set up a dozen studies in case personality clashes make the odd three man study more desirable. You can pick your own study mates and I shan't argue that much if it means a non prefect makes up a fourth, or if none of you are large I suppose squeeze in a fifth; yes Bella Black that means the ubiquitous Belle Marauders as well as the inclusion of Silly Crouch-Jones with Jordan, Stacey and whoever is your fourth. If you HAVE non-prefects I DO require you to have a full study."

"That's fair enough, sir" said Jordan. The three Belle Marauders among the prefects looked pleased.

"So are writing materials banned in common rooms too?" asked Albert.

"No; because of writing letters" said David. "And as I said, SOME judicious research; I'll blink at scribbled notes. Also there are team lists to be made by heads of house games, crossword puzzles and so on. But in general I want to see common rooms places to relax in. This goes for the sixth form common room too; obviously. Hence having your own prep room; which will be known as the senior study and will be open to the fifth as well so long as they use it decently. Any other questions?"

"What if we fall behind because of this experiment?" wailed Porphyria Martin.

"Then any results you attained were false results because you cannot expect to burn the candle at both ends all your lives; and so you are saved the ignominy of failing in your job when you leave school" said David. "Personally I suspect that if preparation periods are used correctly you will find it enhances your work; and do remember that studies will be for studying. If you choose to fritter away your proper prep period in giggle and silliness – I HAVE noticed your predilections, you and your friend Deborah – then you will fail. And because you are coming to the system new I WILL be conducting spot checks on studies; and improper use of them will mean deprivation of the privilege and possibly a loss of prefect status. Very well; I have drawn up a rota for the rest of the term in supervising the various form prep rooms each night. With Saturday included that's eleven periods a week for five years-worth of students; each of you will do one duty each week since some of the periods during the daytime will be supervised by the staff since some of you have, say, the potions dungeon available during the first preparation period. Not very arduous. Now, while we're here, are there any general concerns about the school you wish to bring up?"

There were not; the prefects were too shocked by the sweeping change limiting the chance to do schoolwork wherever and whenever they wanted.

David was unconcerned about their horror; it was needed. It was NOT good for children to sit up half the night doing homework; because that meant they WERE overstretched.

Those like Jade Snape who just absorbed knowledge like a sponge might manage ridiculous numbers of NEWTs; but she managed that ridiculous number within the strictures of the work periods permitted. And if others at Hogwarts were over reaching themselves, he would soon find out.

oOoOo

He duly made the announcement to the school at Supper; and that lockers for their text books would be in place by Monday when the new system would begin; and that the following class rooms had been designated as form rooms for all-house preparation and the rule of working during the set periods would be enforced as strictly as not working during set leisure periods; and anyone who had finished early must tell the prefect supervising in order to be released.

"And as your text books will live in the form rooms you will have no excuse for being without them and having to waste time searching" he said "You MAY ask permission to use the library instead; and you will be on your honour to do so and to do so in a proper manner. I am afraid, however, I AM going to be nasty and suspicious as well as relying on your honour, that you will sign OUT of the prep room for library work and sign INTO the library. And Madam Ermin-Prince will be there to remind you if you are working on into a leisure period. This has worked very well in Prince Peak; and if Jade Snape can get eight NEWTs without violating the rules there is no reason the rest of you should not attain your required results. Indeed, though you may initially drop grades in class if you are used to working all hours, I believe that over time, your result should actually improve. I do NOT consider it proper to be headmaster of a school where half the exam students have hysterics and a significant minority of students appear to be somnambulists for not getting enough sleep!"

"I guess he isn't counting being out of bed for mischief" murmured Niobe to Walter.

"Not hardly; and we'd get stuck with a juicy great impot if we were caught out at that anyway" he said and raised a hand.

"Mr Crabbe?" said David politely.

"What about doing impots and detens sir?" said Walter.

"An important point I suppose for a marauder to raise" said David. "Impositions and detentions WILL eat into your leisure time, Mr Crabbe; lines should be undertaken in the detention room not the prep room; some detentions may be supervised, lines set on the honour system by staff or prefects will be completed either unsupervised in the detention room, or you may find if a detention is already in place you may undertake your own imposition quietly and leave when it is completed. Yes, I know that the chance of walking in on a supervised detention means that this puts a crimp in the style of the ingenious users of self copying pens. Life is hard sometimes" said David. "And too it means that staff can note if any one child IS rather often under detention; because if one of you is writing more lines than you are essays, that means something needs to be done about it; and perhaps some other punishment set, or an underlying cause addressed, whether that means an incorrigibly naughty child, a prefect who has a down on someone, or a misunderstanding. It's all for your own good, my children; and not everything that is good for you is palatable."

"Like Brussels sprouts" came an audible comment from Gryffindor table.

"I LIKE Brussels sprouts" countered a voce from Slytherin.

"Food prejudices aside" said David trying hard not to laugh "I'll be a little lenient while you all get used to it; but after Halloween it will be in full force and no more leniency."

"At least he hasn't banned us from library work without writing in our leisure periods" said Lilith "HOW could we get up to mischief without library work?"

"Do you reckon the headmaster's thought of that yet?" asked Kazrael.

"Huh, of course he has" said Lilith "It's how come Marauders all have ridiculous numbers of high graded NEWTs when they leave school, because they learned all the important principles in the middle school when researching japes!"

"Oh" said Kazrael "So we're allowed to learn in our leisure periods so long as it's not for a serious purpose at the time?"

"I guess that covers it" said Lilith.

oOoOo

Gorbrin did not find the strictures arduous; which, as he pointed out, meant they were not, since he had twice as much prep to complete as Porphyria and Deborah combined since they were taking only two NEWTs each; and Gorbrin was taking eight. It was tight; he admitted that. And he got round it by using a quick-quotes pen and dictating his essays to it that made them quicker to write than doing them manually. After all the purpose of homework essays was to see whether you had understood the issues in class; and had done your subsequent research thoroughly enough. And as Gorbrin had done a lot of his research over the holidays for fun that was something he had already prepared. As well as having read well ahead in the subjects he had taken early at OWL; in potions and transfigurations he was already writing post NEWT essays.

His work on Felix had by its nature to be done when it had to be done, and when Connie Hardbroom could supervise to say that it was all his own work; but that was a given. Metalwork and Art were also two subjects on which the rules were relaxed, for the purposes of the former in booking the metalcrafting dungeon with supervision to work on a project, which meant careful timetabling and civilised behaviour over who used the forge when; and the other because the muse of art like the muse of music could not be regulated in its practical applications. The blanket order was that those subjects requiring set pieces to be produced over a period of time were not subject to restrictions so long as those working on them did not blatantly abuse this relaxation.

"By which he means artists and craftsmen are actually supposed to get a life too" said Albert to Erica. As well as his final metalcrafting piece, in which he involved his divining skill AND geomancy to seek for someone or something on the scrolling map with divining rods – it was essentially finished – Albert was also to brew a potion for his final. Like Lilith he had chosen Veritaserum, that took a full moon; and that meant a complete moon cycle, so Albert and Lilith were both busy consulting almanacs to make sure they had enough time to complete their brewing.

They would each put most of their work into it over the Easter holidays, timing it to start beforehand and finish afterwards for the best results.

Not all the NEWT Potions students would take advantage of using the more tricky potions to brew; Stacey preferred to do well a potion that could be produced in one sitting and was preparing to produce the draught of living death; Meliandra intended producing Liberamore Major but with the twist of several decantings after carefully calculated distillations to cover the effect of Amortentia becoming stronger with time. Meliandra was good at Arithmancy and worked out her own table for extra points. Ming Chang was brewing the fire protection potion that took several weeks through its various stages; and like Albert was producing a master piece for metalwork. Ming's was an extension of the enchanted replay facility of omnioculars; he had spent the year before perfecting a flexible glass strip, by using a one to fourteen proportion of goblin silver in glass, and by smelting the glass using Arithmancy ruthlessly and applying the power of fourteen where he could, the atomic number of silicon being able to be harnessed magically. The original omnioculars used goblin silver mirrors in which to catch and store the replays; by focussing the mirrors onto the specially prepared glass with the thinnest of layers of goblin silver behind it for a mirrored surface, by using spools to wind the strip along, long segments might be recorded. And too it could be viewed a part at a time to be cut and edited with careful enchantment. The trick was getting to view it without having to use omnioculars; but Lucius had given Ming some Wizarding Wireless Vision equipment to work with and the strip could now be copied into the recording globes used to view or transmit by a simple affair of copying mirrors. Ming had almost completed it and was very pleased with it; and Lucius, having obtained a licence from the manufacturers of omnioculars, was about to manufacture a version of it that people might use to take holiday pictures that showed more than waving people on still photos, and might view on a miniature version of his storage globes, or even on their own Wizarding Wireless Vision sets if they had them. It would too make recording for Wizarding Wireless Vision much easier; and Ming was set to make a financial killing as the inventor and developer as well as Lucius doing so over the manufacture and use. Ming and Lucius were each half owners; Lucius having put up the money to obtain the licence AND to get Ming equipment.

Indeed, Lucius had told Professor Jorbal that any student with a bright idea might rely on him, Lucius, for funding on a share and share alike basis, and Lucius to take care of the tedious business of marketing too. Jorbal though it more than fair; most truly inventive craftsmen had as much idea of how to manufacture their ideas as had a fish of how to play quidditch. And with funding, more exciting things might be made! And as Mr Malfoy's business empire was probably one day going to pass into the hands of Gorbrin, who was one of Jorbal's favourite students, that he regretted sincerely was NOT taking the study to NEWT, that was all good.

It was also heartening that the new Headmaster took more than a passing interest in his subject and had begged permission to sit in on some classes too when he had time; David considered it fascinating. As a muggleborn he was quite au fait with scientific principles and technology; and could see much of that in the set formulae of goblin work. And combining muggle chemistry with the magical manufacturing processes seemed to work very well; and that fascinated David too!

oOoOo

The prefects DID enjoy having studies, it had to be said; and were glad to get away into them to do their heavy work load. Not all the combinations were perhaps as convivial as that of the Belle Marauders; but generally they worked very well. And the staff patrolled both studies AND the prep rooms, to make sure the prefects were equal to enforcing quiet work and to emphasise that the staff WERE on the ball and ready to squash any trouble.

The new measure had not been universally popular with the staff; Madam McGonagall was ready to perceive it as a slight to Albus and a suggestion that he had not kept good enough discipline; and David, who had at least always been something of a favourite of his one time house mistress had explained smoothly that Albus had had quite enough to do tightening discipline after taking over from that old fool Armando Dippet – a sentiment with which Minerva wholeheartedly agreed – and when he might have thought about tightening it a little more, Voldemort was throwing a dose of poison into the cauldron as one might say, and Albus had needed to be on his toes more to counter that and could not worry so much about whether silly children behaved to the detriment of their health and good grades. David went on to say that he had discussed it with Albus – as he had – who had thought it a good idea. He did not, for Albus' dignity, add that the previous headmaster had said that he wished he had thought of it first, and if Severus had mentioned it, he would have implemented it earlier.

"Besides" David had added "If I am to be headmaster I should find ways to stamp my own mark on the school; I'd be a pretty poor head if all I did was to be the keeper of the Albus Dumbledore monument to schooling. I'm NOT Albus; I shan't do things in the same way. Some things will have his stamp because he had the training of me; some will bear the stamp of Severus Snape, because he was my guardian and the headmaster for whom I have worked longest; some will have the stamp of Anastasius Smith under whom I trained when we fought Voldemort and under whom I taught for a while at Rowan House; and most will bear the stamp of David Fraser, because he IS who I am. Moulded by others; but not changed. Even as Severus' style is marked by, but not identical to, Albus' style; being trained by Albus and being close to him."

The staff were at least willing to try it; after all there was not one who could say that they had not had trouble with students who seemed half asleep for being up half the night; though as Flitwick said dryly the proof would be in whether those up half the night had been studying or were merely about some unlawful occasion.

oOoOo

Prep was from four until five and half past six until seven every day, with single periods during the day dependant on the electives taken by each student; during which periods most elected to work in the library. There was also an hour and a half period on Saturday evening following early supper at five, from six to seven thirty, after which there was dancing, and the digestion of the youngsters better for an enforced sit down before dancing at that.

There were a few incidents of course.

Like the time that Connie Hardbroom looked in on the fourth year prep room to find Pearl Brocklehurst so deep in a book that she was entirely unaware that half the class was in riot around her. The Pepperingye Marauders had their fingers stuffed in their ears determinedly working; as had a few sundry others while Edward Kettleburn and Orlando Ogden duelled for the attentions of Genevieve Harris, who was ready to forgive them for making prunes of themselves and her two years before for the pleasure of having them at each other's throats over her. Connie determined that this had started because Hazel Spikenard had had one of her visions and had risen to croak,

"Love knows no bounds and braves all terrors and exhaustion; only the willing sacrifice of the heart's blood will overcome" before passing out.

Pearl had been alive to that happening and had sent Hazel to the San to lie down in company with Charis Rawlins, who might not like Hazel but who was capable of seeing her safely to Poppy Pomfrey's nostrums.

Charis had returned in the middle of a whispered argument over what Hazel had meant – Charis knew full well what it meant, it referred to the up and coming twelve-hour chant to free the elves of Europe from the compulsion to self punish – and Kettleburn and Ogren had decided that they needed to demonstrate their undying devotion to Genevieve by being willing to duel and hence metaphorically sacrifice their heart's blood.

Apart from calling them silly drips, the Marauders had not felt that it was in any way their business to separate the pair, especially since half the rest of the class seemed inclined to egg them on.

Those not interested in fighting had accordingly taken themselves to the back of the class making an uneasy truce between the Slytherin marauders and Walter Trimmer. Walter had asked whether they ought not to find a teacher and Nathan shrugged pointing out that if Pearl didn't do anything it was a bit unfair to rat HER up as she was a good sort.

In point of fact, Pearl had become irritated by the whispered discussion on the prophecy long before the boys had got involved and had, instead of forbidding further discussion, which would have been wise, dropped a reversed _muffliatus_ spell on herself to be able to read a tricky piece by Waffling without being disturbed by the maunderings of fourteen year old idiots.

Connie restored order just by coming into the room. She swept her eyes around.

"Those of you who are working may leave when the bell goes to finish prep" she said icily "The rest will be staying; Miss Brocklehurst, for how long has this aberration been occurring?"

When it became apparent that Pearl was not hearing her, Connie went up to the teacher's desk and tapped the prefect on the shoulder. Pearl started and looked up; and went dark red, quickly negating her spell.

"You have a riot on your hands my dear" said Connie "I suggest you go to your study for the remainder of the period; I'll take over."

Pearl flushed again, miserably. Connie did not HAVE to tell her off for dereliction of duty; she knew she had let the staff down. She picked up her books and went quietly away.

"Can anybody give me any timescale of when this started?" asked Connie. There were uncomfortable shuffles. Charis raised a hand.

"It was a little after I returned from seeing Hazel to the san" she said. "Because of her vision; and it was her vision that started the er, discussion. That was at about twenty to seven" she added.

"Very well" said Connie "Let us say the vision started the discussion straight away; allowing Miss Rawlins time to get to and from the san, that is about ten minutes; so seven thirty. Your prep period ends at eight; you have an hour before bed time of leisure. Which you have now lost because you will stay here for twice as long as the disruption – it being but five minutes to the bell – in order to complete your prep. Those who have been disrupted MAY remain for so long as it takes to complete what was disrupted; and will depart quietly when they have done. The rest of you, who like to waste the time of others, may, when you have completed your prep, sit quietly with your hands on your heads."

Miss Cackle's school had not been one in which any students would think of doing homework at inappropriate times; and Connie was glad to see a sensible rule enforced. She considered herself a disciplinarian, and was disconcerted to find that she was considered a soft touch compared to her nephew Severus; but she was not about to be in any respect a soft touch over a near riot!

"It wasn't MY fault, Madam Hardbroom, that those two boys make fools of themselves over me" whined Genevieve.

Connie regarded her with dislike.

"Miss Harris; if it is over you, then you might have stopped this farce with a word. And moreover, had you shown the good sense to ignore the silliness and take yourself to the back of the room with the others who were working hard you would not be sharing their punishment. And perhaps too it might have brought them to their senses. Well! We have the mighty seer starting it off and the three usual suspects at the centre; you have earned a loss of fifty points to Gryffindor, Miss Harris, for whining at me and reminding me whose fault it was. Sit down and get on with your work."

It was not, perhaps, strictly fair to Hazel; but as Hazel had a record of self dramatisation, Connie was not feeling very fair. She felt even less kindly disposed towards the foolish Genevieve, and the girl only had to look at the Head of Slytherin to realise this.

Genevieve sat!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

There were other minor incidents; the apparent riot in the third was explained by Gorbrin who was sitting for prep as being a valid practising of counter curses and the class had asked permission; which he had extended for a half hour, which would be up in ten minutes. At which point, as Gorbrin said, he would dejinx anyone who needed it and settle them down to write up their findings.

Percy Dweemer, who had been the visiting staff member, knew that Remus Lupin believed in a lot of practical work in DADA and nodded acceptance and hoped out loud that Gorbrin would be able to adequately undo Mr McLaggan who appeared to have met several nasty jinxes going the other way.

Gorbrin grinned.

"He told Lilith she was doing it all wrong" he said.

Professor Dweemer did NOT grin over McLaggan's predicament; for the boy was a sickly puce, dripping ichor from a number of exploding pustules, floating bent backwards bonelessly in a hoop shape with pale pink bats issuing from his nose farting as they came. Lilith had evidently gotten more than usually creative.

The Enchantment professor managed to contain his whoops of laughter until he had left and shut the door.

HE did not like McLaggan either.

oOoOo

As neither Porphyria nor Deborah were taking Divination to NEWT – Madam Spikenard having made it clear that it was NOT a soft option at this level, the reason they were only taking two NEWTs apiece – they had no reason to be table turning during their prep period even if it was a valid piece of divination not a nineteenth century muggle parlour game, as David told them severely when he caught them at it. As they had prep left unfinished and had got sidetracked into the silliness he gave them a good ticking off and told them that this was their first and only warning about study use.

He decided to ignore the state of affairs in the Belle Marauders' study where Mimi, whose stack of finished essays declared her industry, was busy dashing off a 'darling-I-love-you-forever-my-body-yearns-for-you ' letter to Darryl; and Bella was finishing her comparative magic essay with her stripy tail lashing and her facial stripes frowning in thought from a partial transfiguration.

David stepped hastily out again before they could rise for him.

Bella was very taken with her tail; it was a very expressive thing. It required a little engineering of her knickers but Bella was sufficiently ingenious to manage that; and continued to wear a stripy tail without the other manifestations of her partial transfiguration.

Besides, when she twitched it at Assim he got all boss eyed.

This led to a sudden and unexpected detention with the Comparative Magic professor when he jerked her firmly into a cupboard on her way out of breakfast to give her a thorough and masterful kissing that left Bella purring loudly – she kept her purring mechanism in place too – and rather shaky at the knees.

"Hrrr" said Assim "Bella if you tail-flirt with me you are looking for trouble!"

"There's a name for it?" said Bella, fascinated.

"It is time to teach you tiger etiquette" said Assim "You may have an hour with me every Sunday. If you behave and do not flirt so blatantly during the week I will also kiss you. If you misbehave, I shall not."

"It's so hard, wanting to be with you" whispered Bella, clinging to him.

"Yes" said Assim, ambiguously; detached her; and exited the cupboard.

Bella purred firmly to herself.

oOoOo

Halloween approached rapidly. Hogwarts did not hold a holiday as Prince Peak and Durmstrang did; but there was a feast and a relaxation of homework and prep periods on the thirty first of October, when instead of prep silly party games were played to the enjoyment of most if not all.

Peeves enjoyed Halloween too and threw water bombs of orange paper with pumpkin mask faces on them.

The Stripy Marauders had made them for him.

The weather had closed in entirely on quidditch now; as it stood, Gryffindor's first and second teams had played Ravenclaw and had lost the first team match and won the second; and Slytherin had played Hufflepuff and had, in the doleful assessment of Dunbar Finch, thoroughly murdered both teams of his house.

The second team's result of nine hundred and twenty to seventy HAD been rather humiliating.

Slytherin were confident of taking the shield this year and though anyone might beat this year's Hufflepuff teams, even Hellibore's Academy for Snobs and Dimwits – Lilith's less than tactful comment – it DID send a message to Ravenclaw.

Gorbrin had led a Hockey team to visit St Jodoc's over the weekend following Halloween – the school in Devon DID have a half term – and had been pleased to draw. They followed up with a friendly hurley match where nobody was really keeping score, just for fun.

Hurley with a soft ball as an indoor sport would be the main game of the winter besides dancing, Kung fu and duelling; and Gorbrin hoped to get in a few games of ice hockey at the safe end of the lake, where underground springs did NOT disrupt the formation of the ice.

oOoOo

And in the second half of the term, to go with the dancing lessons and informal dances there was to be the usual scramble of choosing partners for the Yule Ball.

The Belle Marauders all had settled on their life partners, not one of whom was available; and Bella's Assim so near and yet so far, as she said mournfully. As Isabel was missing Chad, Maud missing Fabian, Drusillina missing Leo and Mimi missing Darryl none of them were particularly sympathetic.

Bella decided to ask Nigel Baddock as he had improved beyond all measure and suggested that the others take each other. This was voted a great idea and after drawing straws for who were to be the male half – it was Maud and Drusillina – they started discussion on whether they should use hair growing potion to grow face fungus, or glue on false moustaches or just draw them on with burnt cork in the time honoured fashion as a token.

The upper sixth managed things with more or less philosophy if not necessarily enthusiasm save on the part of those with a well regulated love life; Gorbrin and Meliandra, Ming and Erica, Jordan and Stacey, Jardak and Jaska being the stable couples here, and David fairly surprised that there were so many already sorted out. Albert, rather pink in the face, explained to Pearl Brocklehurst that he was thinking of courting a girl in Durmstrang but that as she, Pearl, had never had any partiality for anyone, perhaps she might like to go with him.

Pearl was happy to do so; she was the last of Lionel Dell's blood group left at school and had hoped to meet someone in it who would suit her; but like Freya Tuthill was still looking.

Hugin Corbin said

"Thanks I already have a partner and so does my brother' when he and his twin were approached by the giggling pair that were Porphyria and Deborah.

"We have? Since when?" drawled Munin when they got rid of the girls.

"It's a subsequent engagement" said Hugin "And I'd rather dance with you, twin, than with either of those, even if I have to wear a frilly pink ballgown to do it."

"The mind boggles" said Munin. "The most interesting girls in our year have been taken; Hade Malfoy is taking Clem Yaxley just to match up with Flora and Fauna" he referred to Ludmila Yaxley and Damian Malfoy in the last two "And Lois Stavely is going with Silly Crouch-Jones. And the rest are old married couples near enough."

Hugin shrugged.

"I was thinking about a selection of Belle Marauders or failing that I might just ask Lilith Snape just for kickes and giggles."

"I always knew you were mad" said his brother.

"Or we could do a twin thing and borrow Gorbrin's sisters" said Hugin.

Munin blinked. He was not REALLY racist but the idea of taking goblins to the ball was not one he would have considered.

He shrugged.

"Why not? I'd as soon take even Lilith than those silly Huffer girls" he said.

Griselen and Genavka giggled when asked and suggested doing something identical so nobody knew which of each pair was which just because.

"After all" said Griselen "We HAD meant to go with Phil and Tony; but if they can't get around to asking us before two young gentlemen of style and address do so they can just seethe jealously and get in quicker next year."

"Not that we were using you but this isn't any romantic gesture on your part is it?" said Genavka.

"No it's to escape the dippy Huffer pair" said Hugin.

And if Philip Burke and Anthony Parkinson had their noses put out of joint, it certainly made them appreciate their friends the more and perhaps started them thinking that they had better look to their laurels! Both of them spent a lot of time at Malfoy Manor and looked perhaps on the twins as spare brothers rather than as girlfriends; which irked the girls now they were growing up. Philip resided in the school orphanage for having a father in prison and a mother in St Mungo's; and Tony escaped his family whenever he could, especially his sister, she having been expelled. He had the threat to hold out to his parents that he could use the law of child endangerment to appeal to the school to be its ward if they did not let him see his friends; which would make them look bad. And both boys were working towards working for Lucius in some capacity when they left school; which would give them security on their own recognisance and without being dependant on anyone.

oOoOo

Nigel Baddock was grateful for the invitation from Bella; and said so.

"Well you've worked hard on being a being since Uncle Severus sorted your head out" said Bella. "And once you have a partner you can indulge the nasty side that everyone has in sniggering at those who are NOT sorted out."

"Does everyone have a nasty side?" asked Nigel.

"Oh yes!" said Bella airily "It's just that being civilised means keeping it under control and only letting it out to deal with people who aren't nice at all; or to snigger at politicians and idiots in the paper but I repeat myself. People who go out of their way to make fools of themselves almost do deserve to be sniggered at; I guess if it's amused tolerance without too much malice in the snigger it's better. But then there are humourless stuck up gits who also rise beautiful like Randall Corner."

"I think it's a disease endemic in Ravenclaws" said Nigel.

"A lot of them anyway" said Bella. "Oh lumme, and just think of the fourth who get to go this year; and WHAT a performance Genevieve Harris is going to put on! Wands at dawn, hate mail, fights in the dorm…. She is such a silly little cow to egg on the dafter boys in her year."

The fourth were subject to the usual pangs of growing up over the ball. The Pepperingye Marauders had the headache of having four girls and three boys; Jingjie would go with Wanda to keep it in House, Isambard and Nathan with Charis and Tobala to keep it out of house in house – as Nathan put it – with two Slytherin going with two Gryffindors; and U-may firmly collected Magnus Weasley because he was inoffensive and would never manage to ask anyone for himself.

And Genevieve Harris was of course keeping all her swains dangling while she flirted and giggled, enjoying the attention.

Kettleburn and Ogden were not the only boys impressed with her pretty face and air of sophistication; Andrew Chesterfield in Gryffindor worshipped at her altar; and Bibaculus Wilkes in Slytherin wrote excruciatingly bad poetry to her; and in Ravenclaw, Samuel Carmichael and Cyprian Ogren were also willing victims.

It has to be said that Isambard could not resist stirring from time to time, as did fellow Slytherin Maximillian Montague.

Max had a cheeky tongue, but generally stopped teasing before a joke became cruel; the Pepperingye marauders gave him respect. It was a contrast to Ebenezer Gibbon who was as hard-faced a typical Slytherin of the old school as one might meet; the self important Walter Trimmer, and self opinionated would-be poet Bibaculus Wilkes who rose far too easily to make nicknaming him Bibulus worth the trouble, as Maximillian said. Max and Solon Bullivant had a good friendship going; they looked upon the fanfare surrounding the ball with cynical amusement and asked the only two Ravenclaw girls in the year apart from Wanda just because it would irritate all the other Ravenclaws, except Jingjie. Isis Pince was delighted to be asked by anybody; with her thick glasses she was no catch from the point of view of looks, and as she was often involving herself in radical causes was considered a bit of a nut as well. Her friend Odelia O'Hare – and it must be noted that Jingjie insisted on writing that O'Delia O'Hare – was inoffensive and quite unobtrusive too.

They had got themselves two of the most sardonic partners in the year; but were delighted just to have partners.

Once the other boys stopped making fools of themselves over Genevieve, they might suddenly realise that there were seven more boys than there were girls in that year and would kick themselves that they had not made more of an effort with other girls than the drama queen. Especially as two of the choices left were Hazel Spikenard and the rather bad tempered Meriel Llewellyn. And Meriel, a cousin of 'dangerous Dai' Llewellyn, had declared she would only go to the ball with someone who was good at quidditch and that she would not touch the leavings of that Harris girl with a bargepole; and the only two boys in the year who WERE good at quidditch were Nathan – who was already engaged to take Charis – and Cyprian, whose tongue was hanging far enough out over Genevieve that she could walk plain down to his tonsils, as U-may put it.

oOoOo

The Stripy Marauders considered it all highly amusing, and since they were allowed into Hogsmeade for the first time this year, being third years, they made sure to hang about and make dippy faces at fourth years who had not sorted themselves out yet and were trying to do so in Madam Rosmerta's teas shop.

"Brats, you have it coming to you next year" said Maximillian.

"Sure we do" said Lilith "But OUR year hasn't got an infestation of Amortentiata Honeypot Harris and her attendant flies."

"You do have a point" said Max. "Only a few irritants in other respects."

"Oh, Roxanne Shacklebolt can go with McLaggan and love themselves at each other and Hector Weasley can go with Michelle Makepeace and be boring at each other" said Lilith airily. "Most of the rest are mostly harmless. Actually even Weasley and Makepeace are mostly harmless now Michelle's been well squashed. Oh there's Sonia Goshawk in Ravenclaw; well I guess we could invite Trurk in from the forest."

"You're priceless" said Max.

oOoOo

The fourth who were NOT mesmerised by Genevieve found the whole situation embarrassing.

"I just SO wish it wasn't immoral to slip all her swains a love potion for somebody else" sighed U-may "While she's still posturing and being arch and pretending to choose. WOULDN'T it be funny to see her face as they all deserted her?"

"Crumbs yes!" chuckled Isambard.

"I know we break rules left and right but the ban on love potions DOES have a reason" sighed Nathan.

"It'd be even funnier if we made them all fall in love with Flitters" said Jingjie.

"OY! What has Flitters ever done to you?" said Wanda "Poor old boy! Having girls get silly about him would be bad enough, but BOYS?"

"I don't think it works that way unless you're already ragingly gay" said Charis.

"We could aim them at Hazel; she's sufficiently fond of herself that being worshipped by boys wouldn't seem strange." suggested Tobala

"EXCEPT" said Charis "It IS banned."

"Confundment isn't though" said Isambard. "Here Charis, you've got a decent handwriting, can you copy Harris's?"

"Just because I write a pretty hand doesn't mean I can copy her scrawl" said Charis "But in the Book of All Wickedness there's the ritual to enchant a pen to do so."

"Excellent!" said Isambard.

"What are you thinking?" said U-May.

"He's been reading Twelfth Night" said Jingjie.

"No, I got set swathes of it as an impot, all the speeches of Feste the Jester, for attaching that piece of paper to Porphyria Martin's back in prep saying 'please knock, in case anyone is at home for a change' and Gorbers kind of felt he had to uphold the honour of the prefects and all the while he was trying not to laugh."

"Well she isn't all there" said Tobala "And she's hopeless at keeping order in prep; worse than Pearl who at least merely ignores the row rather than making vague and wet sounding protests."

"And she didn't ought to leave it up to us" said Nathan. Isambard's note had been in response to the Pepperingye marauders being sufficiently irritated with the interruptions of the Genevieve Harris fan club that they had dropped langlock neatly on all of them and Genevieve too, that had been cancelled the moment the bell went so there was no evidence to complain about.

"So we're talking the 'if this should fall into thy hands revolve' crap, and 'thus she makes her very great pees'" said Nathan "Well she IS taking the piss but where do we go from here?"

"A written mind trap like Voldemort used to" said Isambard. "Either to make them fancy someone else, which seems a little unfair even if it is Hazel; or to find Genevieve plain, boring and unattractive."

"Flat, stale and unprofitable" murmured Wanda who may not have known the origin of the quote but she did know her Lord Peter Whimsey. Tobala poked her.

"Whatever" said Jingjie "That has definite possibilities. Charis, sweet chuck, away I implore thee unto the book of wickedness, and then purpose to enchant a quill forsooth."

"Go rub your chain with crumbs" said Charis. "Right, I'm on it."

"And U-may, as a fellow snake animagus, see what you can pester out of Lilith how to do it because I bet she knows" added Isambard.

"You come up with a brilliant plan and then say you don't know how to do it?" demanded U-May "What sort of a Marauder are you?"

"One that's too lazy to do library work when I have a Lilith on tap" grinned Isambard.

Several people Gibbsed him.

oOoOo

Lilith DID know; and on being told the purpose of their needs willingly imparted the information. It was a complex piece of dark arts that was, as she told them cheerfully, well beyond the level taught in Durmstrang even when they did have competent teachers. Only as Dark Arts were, like dark creatures, defined by intent this kind of made is off-white arts as the intent was to try to divert trouble generally.

"I don't care how you define it so long as we get to sort out the idiots" said Isambard.

Soon they were crafting a letter; and Isambard was having to learn to copy Genevieve's style to SOME extent in order to embed the curse; and they settled for making Genevieve sexually offputting rather than making the boys hate her because that WAS going too far. And if a teacher happened to have it fall into their hands, revolving or otherwise, it was unfair to make her hated by a member of staff, even if most of them were probably already heartily sick of her.

They squabbled for a while what to write on the outside; and settled for 'to my favourite boy' as ambiguous enough, with a strong attraction charm tied to anyone attracted to Genevieve. It was easy enough to drop it in the cloakroom; and Kettleburn was the first to pick it up.

He read it; and Ogden saw what he thought was Genevieve's handwriting and shouted at him, snatching at the letter.

"Yeah, you have it" said Kettleburn, relinquishing it readily.

Ogden duly just dropped it when it was picked up by Andrew Chesterfield; who also dropped it.

It needed a little help to be where Bibaculus Wilkes might see it; and then needed passing to Cyprian Ogren whose dropping of it and vaguely surprised face made Samuel Carmichael pick it up.

When he too had dropped it, Jingjie retrieved it and it was duly fastened into the book of all wickedness with a full explanation and due thanks to Lilith given in the write up. Lydia had enchanted the book of wickedness before she left to transfer anything written in any one book to the other two; so though the letter itself was not included the essence of how it was done would be.

It saved a lot of trouble checking and copying.

And then the Pepperingye marauders sat back to watch Genevieve smile at a couple of her swains to call them to heel for the Saturday night dance; and to enjoy her baffled fury as they gave her embarrassed distant smiles back and fail to come running.

Genevieve was horrified.

She worked through her whole following with the same result.

And then she turned on Meriel who had not been backward in giving her opinion on girls who played the flirt.

"You have done this!" Genevieve cried "You have told lies and calumnies to the boys that admire me! You have turned them against me!"

"Not me, look you" said Meriel. "Why should I care enough for you to do such a thing?"

"SOMEBODY has!" cried Genevieve "Edward – Orlando – Andrew – who has spread lies about me? What have they said?"

"You are mistaken, Genevieve" said Edward Kettleburn "Nobody has said anything to your detriment. But you are rather importunate in your er aggressive sexuality."

"Lumme!" whispered Charis to U-May "Worked extra well on a windbag like him!"

"We understand your desire to overcome your lack of attractiveness by – as one can only assume – giving us love potions" said Orlando Ogden "And forgive you utterly; but now we have had our eyes opened we prefer to keep a dignified distance."

Andrew Chesterfield nodded.

"Who has said I gave you love potion? It's a lie! I am beautiful and I don't NEED love potions!" cried Genevieve. The three Gryffindor boys smiled politely.

"It is an outrage! And if you have given us such potions, it is against the rules!" declared Bibaculus Wilkes

"She should be reported" said Samuel Carmichael.

"I would prefer just to forget the whole sorry incident" said Cyprian Ogren.

"I – I don't believe it! Someone has given you HATE potion!" declared Genevieve.

"I think that is scarcely born out by the facts" said Orlando Ogden "As we do not HATE you; pity you maybe, but not hate!"

Genevieve went running for Madam McGonagall to beg her house mistress to use a spell to reveal that the boys had been poisoned.

And Minerva cast Scarpin's revellaspell and broke the news to Genevieve that it was no such thing.

The Pepperingye marauders were holding their breaths; would the curses show up?

Had they known it, the magic they used was so subtle that only the best curse breakers in the world were likely to pick it out of a no more than normally searching glance at Scarpin's revellaspell; because they had stuck to a minimal effect of effectively reversing the fascination wrought on boys by Genevieve. Had they gone as far as to make the boys hate her it might have showed enough for McGonagall to pick up. As it was, she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"I suspect, Miss Harris" said Minerva dryly "The boys ye hae been leading aroond by the….nose….. have actually got together and discussed the trricks you play off against them; and have decided that they will hae nae mair o' being used. You have abused your powers of charm, my dear girrl; and this, I'm afraid, is the result. Perhaps you should learn to be a little less cruel in the future and less exploitative. You have naebody but yourself to blame."

Genevieve took herself early to bed, weeping.

"Did we go too far to reduce her to tears?" wondered Charis.

"No" said Tobala. "Carol Best in Hufflepuff is sweet on Cyprian Ogren – no accounting for tastes and I guess they do share an interest in quidditch – and she was crying in the loo after Harris got her hooks into Ogren because she couldn't be satisfied with three Gryffs making asses of themselves over her. Harris just hasn't CARED that her, er, aggressive sexuality – I LOVE that description – has upset other girls as well as causing heartache in her little male victims. She's a preying mantis she is."

Charis, who was a soft hearted soul, was satisfied.

Genevieve was unwontedly subdued in school and applied herself to her lessons rather than to batting her eyelids; and as a result her grades rose and she was heartily congratulated by several professors on seeing the error of her ways of putting foolish airs and graces and flirting above her schoolwork.

If the reason for the rise in grades was as gall and wormwood to Genevieve it was nothing to having her brother Oliver say

"Thank goodness you've stopped tomcatting around and have settled down to stop being so embarrassing, our kid! I'd stand by you but it has been excruciatingly hard to have a scarlet woman for a sister!"

As Oliver was rather somebody in Gryffindor House for being on the House team, his criticism meant more than if he were just her brother, even though he was not a prefect!

oOoOo

David had the Pepperingye Marauders to tea with him.

"All right; how did you do it?" he asked bluntly.

"Sir?" said Isambard, all innocence.

"Can we plead the fifth amendment like Americans?" asked Tobala.

"Oh officially I don't know anything about it and I'm not about to take any official notice" said David "Though if it was any dodgy method I WILL tell you, and tell you why."

"Well Lilith reckoned it was off-white magic not dark magic" said U-May "Because we had to ask her how to do it."

"Why am I not surprised that she knew?" murmured David. "Go on."

They explained in great detail, including about the sobbing of Carol Best and how it was getting impossible to do prep without the more waxy prefects taking it and how they had limited the effect to making the boys find Genevieve sexually unappetising.

David listened; and nodded.

"You have been very careful and scrupulous; and I applaud you."

"It's having Charis on board; she's our walking conscience" said Nathan. "Though I guess we wouldn't MEAN to go too far; only the idea of having them fall in love with someone else like Flit – er Professor Flitwick or Hazel Spikenard was kind of funny to contemplate even though we'd not have done it."

"Good; keep the wishful contemplations separate from the actual jape and I'm sure you'll do very well" said David. "It was complex and well performed; and it does NOT show up readily on the Revellaspell; I was looking for a ritual and I can barely see an echo, not enough to work out what it was. And it was hidden in not being excessive. I'm afraid Genevieve has some growing up to do; she had her head turned by the admiration of a couple of boys at first, and was flattered by them fighting over her; and it has just gone to her head. One can hope that your solution has made her stop and think for the first time in a couple of years. The official line is that the boys wised up to her and must have discussed her manipulations; and THAT is what we will leave her believing. If she ever had any inkling that they had been subtly cursed she would – justly – blame YOU for her discomfort and might see if she could not fascinate another set of boys. Your er, anti-charm charm must remain a marauding secret; you can never boast of this jape nor let people know your cleverness; and you must swear Lilith and her lot to secrecy too. And maybe it will cure the daft er, little girl."

"Thank you sir; of course we'll keep it secret if you wish it" said Nathan. "We'd have told her and taken the wandfire if you had wanted us to do so, though I'm not sure we would have apologised; we aren't sorry."

The others shook their heads.

"The situation was ridiculous; something had to be done" said Charis.

"And you did it very well" said David. "And it will never be spoken of again. Tea?"

They partook of tea and cakes and were well satisfied.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

With Genevieve Harris effectively neutralised – and David thoroughly grateful that he had not needed to step in and take such drastic measure as actually banning the girl from the ball – most of the silliness petered out.

Lilith had spoken severely to the girls in the third, having already calculated that there would be a shortfall of females, and got them to agree that none of them would go as partners to any of the boys of the fourth without at least a medium sized box of chocolate cauldrons as a bribe, the which all the girls were to duly pool regardless of who got asked.

In the face of such implacable avarice the boys of the fourth had very little choice and chocolate cauldrons were in vogue amongst the third.

"Weel" said McGonagall "It aye mak's a difference frae yon wee girrrls mak'in' eyes at older boys juist tae gae tae the ba' noo"

"Healthier if you ask me" squeaked little Flitwick.

"Though not from the point of view of the effect of chocolate on the complexion" said Connie. "Dear me, why SHOULD the boys of the fourth think that the little girls will be flattered? It does them no harm to have to work for it."

oOoOo

The run up to the ball also meant end of term exams; and David was having to send home brief reports on all the first years.

He decided not to write for Emma MacMillan 'Emma's face will not crack if she laughs if she will only risk it' since the MacMillans as a whole tended to be a humourless bunch and wrote instead 'Emma takes herself too seriously and would doubtless succeed better in her weaker subjects if she worried less about how her small mistakes look to other children who are frankly not watching anyway.' Emma had trouble with locomotor charms and had utterly unexpected transfiguration effects like turning her matchstick into a pile of ash and her beetle into a budgie. And she had been banned from the metalwork classes that started after Halloween for squealing at a hot crucible, picking it up on its carrying rod half heartedly and promptly dropping it because a few sparks flew up – nowhere near her – and how Coral Sneden on the other end of the rod had not been seriously burned as a result was a miracle. Coral had taken it very well but some children might, with justification, have demanded compensation for a still nastily burned leg. Fortunately Sevvy and Tarquin had chanted to put out the fire and had Coral's leg sorted out while everyone else was still in shock save the Lifemunchers, who variously picked up Emma's end of the crucible – for all her pain, Coral was still trying to keep it upright – and pulled out of the way such children as might be in the flow of molten copper, which Jorbal was using as a demonstration of casting. Coral's stoicism had her promptly invited to join the Lifemunchers.

And there had been another fight of the Sebastians later because Seb Rice pointed out scornfully to Sebastian MacMillan that if his cousin was such a poor prune to jump at nothing, then it was demonstrably barely his fault she had fallen downstairs over his fireworks.

Sebastian Macmillan defended his cousin's honour rather halfheartedly and Seb called pax and said that anyone might appreciate a fellow sticking up for family but couldn't they just agree that Emma was a poor prune who needed to be stuck up for on principle if not for liking her and leave that as a compromise.

Sebastian pulled a rather bruised face and agreed.

And David must say something tactful about Sebastian too or see the child suffer as Albert had done. He wrote "Sebastian is taking some time to find his academic feet but his performance in Divination is hopeful. I have every expectation of him settling down to a good solid academic performance with time." And Sebastian would not need to have anything rescheduled because of the clash of metalwork and divination since he seemed to take much less interest in metalwork than his brother and would, after Yule, be one of those taking divination. As would Emma; though less from aptitude than from being banned metalwork. Jorbal had also set her a stiff detention writing lines 'I must try not to kill my fellows'; and Emma had appealed to Madam Sprout since she claimed that she should never have been made to do nasty dangerous things. Fortunately Pomona's head was well screwed on and she ticked Emma off for telling such lies because Professor Jorbal was extremely safety conscious and it was only children who acted stupidly and heedlessly in his class that caused any danger and Emma was lucky not to have a lawsuit on her hands from Miss Sneden's parents for her behaviour. Emma, who was a gentle soul who had never been in trouble before was much upset; and Pomona had cuddled her and explained that one had to consider consequences; and if the crucible had scared her so much she should have asked to forgo her turn and not got into a position where she caused an accident. It did not, sighed Pomona later to David, behove a head of house to write on a child's report 'Emma is rather wet and not very clever'.

Still, Emma was a genius next to Maud Bonham, who was decidedly moronic as well as being close to being a squib; and her idea of settling an argument was to put whoever disagreed with her into a head lock. David personally thought that the child needed a secure ward more than school and wrote tactfully "Maud finds socialising difficult. As she also finds the standard of work difficult, she might be happier with a private tutor than at a large school."

She probably would at that, poor child.

He was at least able to write good reports for both his muggleborn and for Balduk and his brother Rudatz in the second, he being new to the school. Another goblin did trouble him; and he wrote of Ragnok 'Ragnok has no trouble with any lessons and would probably shine if he attended more to his own business that that of other people.' He could afford to make snippy comments on Ragnok without being accused of racism as he knew the family; and Jazka, Danzo and Kazrael who were no trouble – the reverse in fact and the two girls being blooded – would know to tell their parents it was just Ragnok.

Of Cathy Barbary he wrote 'It is a shame that Cathy already thinks she knows everything there is to know; it makes teaching her the things she actually does not know more challenging for the staff'; because Cathy had a tendency to argue about everything as well as muggles and music. Of Timothy he grinned and wrote, because Lucius would enjoy it 'Malfoy git, need I say more'. Bernard Higgs was a problem. "Bernard is good all round at schoolwork but appears to have picked up a few odd ideas concerning racism. Unfortunately for him this is going to continue to make him unpopular until he learns a few facts of life' was about the best he could do. And Henry Tranter! Tempting as it was to write 'Henry is a typical Ravenclaw but with luck may grow out of it' he wrote instead "Henry has a rather middle-aged approach to life. His school work is well on target, but it would be nice if he could learn to be a child."

And a contrast to write of Darren Slugworthy 'if he grows out of his tendency to fire cauldrons at visitors to the class it would be a relief but I otherwise have no problems with Darren. He is in the thick of all mischief and is a nice normal little boy." Had Darren exploded only one cauldron David would not have mentioned that it had narrowly missed him when he went down to the dungeon to ask for a big brewing of throat potion; but the boy had apparently also managed to shatter a window exploding another cauldron out of it. David took exploding cauldrons in his stride; he had grown up with Neville and later Lionel Dell. Emma MacMillan had of course jumped and scalded herself with her own potion.

Well most of the Ravenclaws were at least mostly harmless to write some platitude about; and as Luke Murdoch's sister was a Slytherin and so had been their mother David had written happily "Luke is a clever and, more importantly, a nice child; you would hardly think he was a Ravenclaw. I am very keen that he keeps up his interest in muggle science as syntheses of magic and science have led to several important breakthroughs in recent years.'

And that MIGHT help too the strains in the family; Clarice and Luke had a muggle father with two entirely muggle daughters from a previous marriage; and he found magical children difficult to cope with. Luke had burst out with all this one day when carrying books for the headmaster and David had sat him down with pumpkin juice and biscuits to hear all about it; and to encourage the boy to pursue both sides of his heritage. And David had told Luke something of how he had, as a muggleborn supporter of Harry Potter, suggested muggle solutions to deal with Deatheaters and recommended that the child join the MSHG and ask to be accepted into the Lifemunchers. Luke had taken his recommendation and was a happier little boy for the thought that both worlds could co-exist with a little give and take.

oOoOo

And it was time to think too about blooding in such of the Lifemunchers as wanted to support; so they were there before the big chant.

David decided to talk to Salazar and Tarquin who were de facto leaders of the group.

He put forward the idea to the two boys about sounding out who might consider being blooded in.

"Oh we discussed THAT long ago" said Tarquin.

"It's me, Bryony, and Zeljeela to join Tarq, Sevvy, Candy and Naomi" said Salazar. "Neesa didn't want to; we did ask her, and Charlie's kind of backed out a little lately, so we need to check him. We hadn't asked Balduk and Seb nor Clymene though; actually I don't think any of us would MIND them being sibs; I guess the boys and Charlie kind of form a firework-oriented sub-group."

"Coral and Luke are too quiet to even be supporters to marauders, the Black twins don't feel quite right and nor does Faustina nor Tim" said Tarquin.

"Well check it out; and we'll have a ceremony on Friday night" said David.

"Wow!" said Salazar, his eyes shining "Now it's so close, I kinda almost feel scared; yes, we must check and not make assumptions. Constant Vigilance!"

"Lumme and I thought your dad was bad enough!" grinned David.

oOoOo

"Are you still in, Charlie?" Tarquin asked having assembled the ones they had chosen.

"I – yes I am" said Charlie "It's more important than just having fun with the gang. It's something I believe in."

"Anyone else have second thoughts?" asked Salazar "Because we're due to blood on Friday."

"You're having a laugh" said Bryony.

"This is a way I can say thank you to the school for having me" said Zeljeela "As well as being closer to Candace."

"Right" said Tarquin "And now we need to consider whether we invite in anyone else."

"You mean Balduk, Seb and Clymene" said Sevvy "They being the ones who might feel rightest."

"Yes" said Tarquin.

"I'd like to say" said Candace "I LIKE Balduk and Seb; but I don't think they're old enough even if we have them in later."

"They're the same age as the rest of us" objected Salazar.

"But not inside" said Candace. "They might never be; the Weasley twins never joined and they had the opportunity. I think we should wait on them. Clymene I think we should ask."

"And at nine we'd be a more auspicious number too" said Zeljeela.

"All right; Candace, want to hop and bring her in here?" said Tarquin.

'Here' was the boxroom that had once been Salazar Slytherin's study, accessible now only by Parseltongue, the main door having had a carefully chanted lock put on it using Parseltongue, and the secret passage from the library and the stairway up a buttress to outside the castle having been already thus prepared by the founder. Lilith had made a present of the room to Salazar, as another of Slytherin's heirs AND bearing his name to use for such of his gang as he saw fit as he was already a Parselmouth by right, like Bryony, for their heritance.

"I never realised there was a door here!" said Clymene as Candace hissed the password.

"Repelling spells" explained Candace. "Here you see the core of the Lifemunchers; because we've picked to support the marauders and their ideals without actually really wanting to maraud; there's a big important part of being a marauder or a supporter that you need to know before you decide whether you want to be a part of the core or not; and you MUST swear silence about it before you're told."

"I – look my family has not been in the best odour" said Clymene "If it's something that would get me expelled, that's NOT a good secret."

"It's something the headmaster is part of and knows all about" said Sevvy. "He supported the marauders that were Harry Potter and co; and my dad was a marauder. Still is I suppose, only sort of mostly retired."

"Then I'll swear" said Clymene.

They let Tarquin explain; he was of the blooded and so understood it from the inside, and was moreover best left to enjoy his own voice as Sevvy teased. Tarquin also explained about the compulsion in elves and how there was to be a chant to break it.

Clymene listened with wide eyes.

"Oh!" she said "I would LOVE to be a part of something where you get to be so close! I get on much better with my brother now, but it would be SO nice! And too to support Professor Snape in his chant – after all he's done for my brother and me, to make sure we won't have that horrid heritance! And I reckon it's only RIGHT to let people think their own thoughts; my brothers have been kind of enslaved into nasty behaviour with wrong thoughts, and that was bad, and now Nigel is free of that he's so much happier!"

oOoOo

Consequently, nine children were shown into Myrtle's loo by those of their number who knew how; and if those as yet unblooded were surprised to find three other staff members besides the head and sundry wives and older children including the head boy they soon got used to the idea.

And they slit their palms; and blood joined and sang and they were one with all the others!

"It might be well, when you are drained from helping us in the big chant, to let your parents think there has been a mild form of fairy flu going about" said David "I always hesitate to deceive parents; but we all deceived grownups when we were fighting Voldemort – except our special grownups" he waved at Sirius and Remus "– because grownups can get odd preconceived ideas, we found, and only half listened to half that we said and wilfully misunderstood the rest."

"My parents are okay about it" said Naomi "Because it was done initially to keep us safe."

"I'd as soon be frank with Dad" said Salazar "He WILL find out anyway; besides he understands blood magic. I could kinda wish he and mum were joined to me, but….."

"It may be that with you joined to the rest of us, old Constant Vigilance and Abigail might join us anyway" said David. "He's as stubborn as a sack full of donkeys is your father but he's a good sort. I'd be happy to have him on board. And your mum is one strong lady."

Salazar flushed with pride at praise for his parents.

"I shan't say anything" said Bryony "I won't deceive my parents but I'd rather try not to say anything at all because I don't think they'd understand. They ARE muggles after all with mugglish ideas about blood poisoning."

David chuckled.

"And Hermione Granger, who should have known better, was chary at first for that self same reason!" he said.

"Our parents know" said Charis, grinning at her little brother "I told them; they're quite sensible for grown ups. I mean grownups who don't maraud" she added hastily in search of digging herself out of a hole.

"We do understand" said Sirius.

"And I'm not going to tell my parents anything and I doubt they'd even notice if I'm listless" said Clymene.

"Well you may have a rotten family but you're OUR family now" said Candace.

"And I told my dad and he said go ahead to do anything to help people like Harry Potter and Professor Dumbledore" said Zeljeela. "And he was well impressed about Seth and said it was only just."

oOoOo

And then they were back into school for the last few days before the ball.

Gorbrin was busy turning the Hall into a ballroom; and inspired by the fishes, and the grandchildren of the first Charlie Rawlins, used the film of Bedknobs and Broomsticks to create an underwater fantasy, adding illusory mermaids watching from a distance, turning one wall into the decaying hulk of a great galleon, and reducing gravity with a chant that took the combined aid of Ming and the Belle Marauders so that the ball-goers would bob along as they danced as though they were indeed under water.

And he played the music 'beautiful briny sea' to introduce the ball. It was a good slow quickstep , a perfect way to open a ball to help the less able.

Lilith loved it; she had been one of those invited from the third because Andrew Chesterfield, cured of his infatuation for Genevieve, wanted to ask her opinion about potioneering, at which he excelled. Lilith thought him stuffy in the normal way, but anyone who talked potions to her was guaranteed a hearing; and Andrew HAD coughed up most generously with a large box of chocolate cauldrons that had been shared around already.

Andrew was rich. He had muggle grandparents on one side who had been wealthy as well as fairly well off wizarding relations; and judicious investment in both worlds had paid off. He wanted to know – since the Snapes were said to be well off – whether Lilith's father made potions gratis or whether he felt it better to charge.

It took a while to get this information out.

"Daddy mostly teaches because he's good at it and feels there's no better way to serve society than turn out other potioneers" said Lilith "He DOES charge for extra special potions if people ask him for them; and he also provides free cures for really poor communities. It's not really an either –or situation. He makes felix felicis and doesn't charge for the Aurors' office for example because they're a public service. I guess" she went on "You would do better to take a year in research in Prince Peak as you can afford it to learn from him; he IS the best. And then perhaps a year in an apothecary's shop to get a feel; and then perhaps start buying apothecary's shops. Then if you wanted you could subsidise the sorts of cures the poor need most; or donate a certain amount to travelling healers. Or even become a travelling potioneer, and healer too if you make the grade with transfiguration, chanting and Arithmancy, and charge some for pride's sake for the people you help and subsidise most. I think you're a good man to consider it, but you DO need to charge some from those who can afford it because you want to stay rich enough to carry ON being able to dish out your gratis stuff. That's why I suggest apothecary shops. You can make a whack on recreational rubbish like the elixir to induce euphoria and on feel-good potions for the hypochondriacs. And you can sell contraceptive potions and pepperup potions at cost to help the poor."

Andrew was very pleased; he liked being rich but he had been brought up to believe in giving. A compromise seemed perfect; and he DID like the idea of spending a year at Prince Peak too, to learn from the Best of the Best as everyone knew that Professor Snape was!

Lilith enjoyed the food more than the dancing, though bobbing along on the bottom of the counterfeit briny sea was fun too. But as she was only eleven, she did also fall asleep tucked up against a barnacle encrusted cannon long before the ball was over and had to be carried to her bed by Meliandra.

oOoOo

And then the school was going home; and the selection of chanters were apparating out to Prince Peak to be assigned their stations. Gorbrin was sore that he was not permitted to chant, since goblins had once been servants of the fey, and Severus did not put it past them to have some way of making the curse breaking not count if elves or goblins chanted; he had even arranged backup for Mortimer Bane who was only a quarter goblin so he did not chant alone. Mimi was just as sore and moaned to her sister Jade when they got there – after having kissed her Darryl into submission of course.

Jade hugged her sister and asked how she'd feel if it WAS important and her contribution only made the ritual fail because of some obscure point in the original curse on elves.

"You mean the ruddy fey built in a 'thou shalt not free yourselves' clause?" said Mimi.

"I don't know; but do you put it past them?" asked Jade "You see that Darryl does his bit; bless the boy he hasn't done as much as the rest of us, he NEEDS you; and nothing to stop you chanting along with him as encouragement so long as HE is the primary of the node."

Mimi nodded, somewhat pacified; she was still angry but it was primarily directed towards the fey rather than at Severus for being over cautious.

They were to go each of them to their appointed stations six hours before the start of the chant, primary and secondary chanters, the secondaries to do four of the twelve hours only, an elf, and an apparating aide or supporter. And one reason for getting there early was in case of any unforeseen events – like a group of giants wanting to camp on the chanting site, or a Bedou war taking place or reindeer on the rampage.

Some of the places they were to be chanting might easily be in the middle of, say, Graphorn ranges. Or even dragon ranges.

"And if we have a manticore, just copy David and drop a rock on it" laughed Ellie.

"It worked" said David with all the dignity he could muster.

"It was a brilliant piece of lateral thinking" said Severus "Like Ron dropping that ruddy troll's club on its own head."

"Crumbs, Sev mate, did you actually just call me brilliant?" said Ron.

Severus grinned.

"Must have been a temporary aberration on my part" he said.

They each had a needle inserted in their arm for intravenous drip that should prevent the troubles they had experienced last time from dehydration; David certainly welcomed the idea. He had also welcomed his young namesake, Krait's most recent offering, David Augustus who had blonde hair and, startlingly, black eyes.

Each group also had a tent with all appropriate facilities and cooling or warming charms depending on where they would be chanting; the circle extended into the Sahara desert on the one hand and into the Arctic circle on the other. And Lilith too was to be one of the primary chanters because, as Severus said, he could not exclude one of his best chanters with too the advantage of high fey blood from her Malfoy heritance merely on grounds of age. Lilith had picked Crys Bass of the Broomstick Boys as her secondary just because she liked him; an elf called Vya who attended Prince Peak school was her elf and Percy Weasley had begged to be her aide on grounds that redheads ought to stick together.

David had asked for Orlando Carcano as his secondary chanter; he got on well with the big jolly Spaniard who had taken up chanting relatively recently but who took it seriously to make a suitable secondary. His elf was to be Tarri who was the traditional personal servant to the headmaster of Hogwarts in, as she had told him proudly, unbroken line for seventeen generations. David had been duly impressed and had given in both over being cared for by an elf and in having Tarri claim right to support him. Ellie was of course his supporter, and excluded from the chanting for being half goblin.

Lilith had meanwhile hugged all her supporters, which was more or less what anyone might expect of Lilith; and was busy bossing them around.

In actual fact, Lilith would have liked to have had Sextus there as a secondary supporter; but stealing him from his mother for even a few days at Yule would require too much explanation; half living with the Snapes over summer was a different matter. Madam Scarpin liked to have her son with her at Christmas.

Chrys was to start the chant; and he and Percy had agreed that Lilith was to be left to sleep on while he did so, to leave her as fresh as possible for when she took over. She had laid down and gone to sleep in the tent with the facility only a small child can manage; and being so tiny as she was looked even more vulnerable for it.

"You'd never guess she was as tough as old boots" murmured Percy. "Get some kip, Crys; I've an alarm clock."

Lilith stirred as she felt the blood pulse from her father, and came half awake as Crys started the chant. It was nice of people to let her sleep on. Lilith told her body firmly that three more hours was sufficient; and went back to sleep. She had too much inherent good sense not to take what rest she could. And she woke in exactly three hours to have time to wash and eat and be ready to take over with the complex Gaelic phrase that tripped easily from her well trained tongue;

"A casadh orainn do'n chead uair, d'fhiaf-raigh me di a-n scaioi-l- feadh glas ar bith gra….."*

"Turning on the first hour I seek for a spell to unlock the spell laid in the heart…."

She became the chant and the chant was her; there was no other way to do it. She must exist for eight hours within the chant; and the only way to do that was to be mentally outside time and just go with the chant. Lilith had known this instinctively for as long as she could remember; she had known it for the first, eight hour chant when she had known she was even then a better chanter than some of the grownups chosen. What she had not understood then was the degree of physical stamina required that could not be overcome merely by entering a state akin to meditation. Lilith was aware of Sextus as one who fed her, was with him as he was with her, him and Kazrael; as Venus fed Leo and Gennar fed Draco and Jayashree fed Bella. Each of the juvenile marauders had special family members to whom they might channel power.

oOoOo

David was an old hand at this. He had been a part of the eight hour chant and the feeling of dehydration bringing on a headache that the chant echoed against was not there this time; and he was exultant. This was EASY by comparison! Peeing into a motorman's friend also aided the feeling of self worth for not losing dignity; magic was wonderful but muggle devices were, as he had always said, worth using. The elf supporters saw to banishing the contents regularly as part of their duties. David reflected absently that built in _evanesco_ spells might actually have been a good idea.

oOoOo

Bella was backed by her Assim; and they had spent their six hour respite in tiger form snuggled against each other in their Arctic tent, several points north, as Bella said, of civilisation. Kumi was their elf, inherited from Assim's brother and ready to do anything for Assim; and they were backed by Freya Tuthill claiming that she had Comparative Magic in common. Kumi had been freed from the compulsion to self punish in the act of coming to England on a mission for his wicked master; and had adored the marauders ever since. He was looking forward to being the chief elf in the school Assim and Bella were to run in India when Bella left school.

Bella sat and watched her beloved Assim roll out the ringing words of the chant for a few minutes just so she could purr over how magnificent he looked standing their so strong with his long black hair rippling in the very crackle of magic around him. Then, cat-like, she curled up to go to sleep again herself for three or so hours; Bella was well aware that the chant was going to be gruelling. And Assim would understand and respect her for that decision.

oOoOo

Mimi squirted honey water into Darryl's mouth to keep it from drying, timing it exactly to avoid interrupting the chant, to give him time to swallow. He could not smile at her; but she felt his heart smile at her in love as he concentrated on the hard, unfamiliar words.

The mighty chant rolled on, hour after hour; and half way through it the chanters felt the agony dulled rapidly by helpers to pain of Clovis Gierek as his little elven wife Tildi cut open his chest to take the sacrifice of twelve drops of heart's blood; to be daubed in a freeing rune to mark those at each of the twelve cardinal points, any who had any pretensions to claim highfey blood, which was mostly those of Malfoy descent, Seagh, Traudl Mondschein and Myrtle because the sacrifice of Abraxus' hand gave her a claim to his blood. And Lilith was one of them; and Sirri, who was as much a mother to Lilith almost as Krait was herself, came to make the sigil.

oOoOo

And then, finally, after hours of chanting it was all over; the triumphant blood pulse from Severus heralding the end; and Lilith crumpled down into a ball, almost wanting to sob with exhaustion; but too tired to be able to. Percy relieved her of the intravenous needle; and picked her up to apparate.

And then her Daddy was hugging her; and a tired mummy and her sisters and Lilith was safe.

There were other marauders; and Lilith made herself stay awake to greet them, those she had met briefly in Prince Peak with Jade's adopted son Ulvik, who like them was her age; and others in Durmstrang. Lilith was too tired to be more than polite!

The elves of Durmstrang provided a feast; which helped somewhat; but then Lilith was waking up on a mattress on the floor in the Durmstrang great hall, conscious and embarrassed by the fact that she must have fallen asleep at the table.

And had slept through until everyone else was mostly awake too!

Still she felt a lot better for it; the extra people to support, the muggle fluid-thing and the tents had been an improvement over what she recalled last time when nobody had been even fit to move, even the grown ups.

And then the Snape contingent apparated to Prince Peak for a merry Christmas, enjoying seeing how Jade's new children fitted in with having a large and loving family; and if the second one had a bigger gift then anyone else – a flying pony – well, if riding was his thing that was only fair.

Lilith discovered that Rainer – a human child – was also interested in music; so they had that to talk about. And Ulvik was a marauder; and the babes were just cute.

And she got the chance to cuddle her newest brother, David, properly for the first time. And being a typical boy he leaked on her.

oOoOo

David Fraser and Ellie were glad to get back to England and spend Christmas with their daughters; at four, Emma knew something had been happening and was glad daddy and mummy were safe; at two, Lucy scarcely understood what was going on and just squealed with joy because her sister did.

And two tigers prowled at Malfoy Manor on Christmas eve; for Assim was to stay for Christmas now Narcissa had finally accepted that her little sister was in love and was going to have this foreign weretiger. And Narcissa would do anything for Bella; and if that meant learning to love her Assim, she would do her best.

Besides, Gorbrin rated him; and Narcissa respected Gorbrin's opinion.

It was a happy Christmas for all; the more for knowing they had given a most remarkable Christmas gift to all the elves of Europe.

oOoOo

*_ or phonetically, 'Cassoo doran don ced waar, jeefri may dee on sceeloo bi gloss air bi graw_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"If you ask me, David" said Lucius, when they met in town after Christmas, "Anyone who took any part in that chant, including those supporting, count as having undertaken a far more taxing practical than any that can be devised by me; so I'm going to award them the practical as a gimme. Is Lilith doing it this year?"

"She wasn't but I'd not argue that she isn't more capable than those that are" said David. "I'd have forbidden her on the grounds that two gruelling chants in one year were too much for her little body but if you'll count this I will permit her to take the extra NEWT. Dear me, WHAT will I do when I run out of exams?"

"Set her to research dear boy" said Lucius "I'll steal some of the mysteries the Department of Mysteries and see if she can solve them; keep her quiet and do something useful too."

"It has its attractions" said David.

Lilith would be pleased.

She was busy at the moment with such electives as her friends were taking and planned to take nine OWLs alongside them in the subjects she had known less about and felt in need of more teaching in; which necessitated some fast talking with Madam Spikenard as Lilith was also studying metalwork which generally clashed with Divination. Lilith did not think she would do well in Divination but it was well to try one's hardest to see if there WAS a field in it in which she had some talent. Lilith's opinion – with which Madam Spikenard actually concurred – was that those who put down any old rubbish got 'A'; those who tried got 'E'; and those who had any talent got 'O'. Lilith was also studying for both animal care exams, domestic and wild; and gaining most of her knowledge in that from taking tea with Hagrid. At least it tickled her to collect every exam in the book – which meant too that David could poke her at the new art exam and at the newly introduced quidditch exam that was to give unacademic children who took an interest in sport some form of qualification; a pass at OWL permitted immediate employment as an official, and depending on the grade cut out portions of the referees' written exam; and too permitted an entrée into coaching. David thought it a good idea.

So did Jack Murray, who was to be taking it alongside his NEWTs, studying on his own time for when it was officially introduced; as he said, his playing career would not last forever.

And it might keep Lilith quiet as well even if she was likely to moan that there was no NEWT available.

David liked too the French idea of awarding a DOE alongside any passes at OWL for the less able students; and had put it to the examinations board. As this was headed by Griselda Marchbanks, who was full of common sense as well as liking David, the idea was to be implemented from the following summer; which was to say that anyone who gained at least a 'P' in the core subjects would be awarded the DOE at pass with 'E' grade on the certificate for any exams just passed at that level and 'O' for an 'E'; and of course OWL passes would be credited separately too. The three compulsory core subjects were Transfigurations, Potions and Charms and any two other subjects might be included; the exam board would discuss those students who had failed at OWL level to the grade 'P' and would choose which other subjects to include. This meant that they would generally pick other subjects which had not quite attained a pass to demonstrate that the student had enough knowledge to pass a DOE; generally a 'P' grade demonstrated that the student would have passed the previous year's level of exam, lacking the knowledge to quite warrant an OWL being issued. The band of 'P' was relatively narrow.

It would have been the best he might have hoped for as a measure for the unfortunate Maud Bonham; but fortunately her parents had asked for an interview with him, and David had explained that their daughter's violent reactions had alienated her from her class; and that half her violence was due to frustration for being unable to perform as well as the others and lacking the intellectual capacity to express herself. He recommended Olive McMillan as a good and patient tutor who was used to children who might be termed a little difficult and who was sympathetic towards real problems.

It turned out that the Bonhams had not wanted to deprive their daughter of a chance of education at school; and did not want the neighbours labelling her a squib.

The girl came close; but David felt, and said, that it was more likely to be her lack of understanding that made her unable to perform at least moderately well; and with the best will in the world, his staff HAD to take the needs of the majority into account and could not give Maud the attention the child really needed. The Bonhams were very grateful that he held out hope of Maud managing at least some qualifications; and proceeded to withdraw her before the frustrations of failing made her even more truculent.

David had also attended a hearing of the Wizgamot, as a supporter of young Walter Crabbe who had asked to conduct his own defence of the contesting of his wishes to be a ward of the school.

Walter explained that the problems with his parents started with their inability to even notice that he had been cursed in the first place, as they seemed to think that torturing animals and poor kids was a laughable boyish prank; and that they had determinedly refused to discuss his treatment when he was in St Mungo's, and that had it not been for the aid of Professors Dumbledore and Snape, and his big brother Victor, he might not have made so full and rapid a recovery. And now he was out of St Mungos, his parents would not let him get over the trauma by letting him discuss it but preferred to pretend – it seemed – that it had never happened, and just referred to it as his 'little trouble' and indeed tried to encourage him BACK into aberrant behaviour by making racist and blood snob comments about his friends.

He said that frankly he was afraid, from the way his father spoke, that if they found out who his goblin and part goblin friends were, that his parents might try to kill or harm them.

Mr Crabbe did not help his case by shouting out at this juncture that Dumbledore was a senile old fool to let near pure blood children associate with filthy animals like goblins.

He refused to apologise and had the sentence of three months for contempt of court and inflammatory racist comments increased to six months for swearing at Tiberius Ogden, who happened to be the great grandfather of the notorious Orlando Ogden late of the Genevieve Harris fan club.

The Wizgamot granted a total decree of severance for Walter from his parents, with the right – should he wish it – to be adopted without his parents having any right to agree or disagree. At Walter's request his guardian was his brother Victor, who had also attended; and the brothers embraced warmly. Victor was taking a year of extra study at Prince Peak but he could be there for Walter if he was ever needed; and he was an adult by a couple of years and more and so quite eligible.

David was glad; Walter had been a little less buoyant for having been the subject of bombarding letters from his parents through the term; and but for his Marauding friends he might have even become depressed. The knowledge that the blood link would find him, and that he could be rescued even if kidnapped by them had been reassuring. It was David's first case of a child appealing for sanctuary of the school; at least, from the point of view of being headmaster and therefore the provider of the sanctuary. Ellie suggested rather tartly that if he had chanted up an engulfing charm based on the blood of the parents, the owls bringing the messages might have been diverted to the headmaster's office where Walter might choose to receive them, or not. David wished either of them had thought of this earlier; but it would be a course of action available for the future.* And this, a complex case where appeal had been made and accusations of brainwashing on his part to make the child go against – as his parents claimed – his best interests. The healers at St Mungos had put their view; which was not complimentary to the Crabbes; Severus and Victor had both given evidence; which included the fact that they had advised Mr and Mrs Crabbe to send Walter to Prince Peak under the eye of his brother and where nobody knew about his previous behaviour. Tiberius Ogden had asked Walter if he wanted to transfer schools; and Walter had shaken his head and explained that he was really lucky in his friends in that they understood and accepted, and that one of his friends had also had a cursed toy, and his experience had helped her so it had turned out all right, but not because his parents had intended it that way but only because they thought it was more snob value.

And Victor had also given evidence that his parents had disowned HIM because of aberrant behaviour leading to expulsion from Hogwarts because of reacting against the behaviour of his little brother; and that he was grateful to Professor and Madam Snape for showing him what real parents should be like, not just a couple who can manage to procreate like their biological father and mother.

His shield charm held against the cruciatus curse from his father and a selection of curses from his mother without any difficulty and the sentence increased to ten years for his father and became a stiff nine months for his mother.

And Tiberius Ogden thought it sadly telling, once the case was concluded that Walter said in deep relief to his brother that at least they need not expect any trouble with both their parents inside.

oOoOo

Any news about the court case was superseded by the headline,

"Chrysogon Rufus is Cutting his Curls!"

Chrys had decided that he was starting to look more silly than cute; and gave the papers a story to exploit his curls one last time.

"There comes a time" he said "When a boy is no longer suited by curls; and now I'm twelve the time has come. However, I SHALL be mounting one hundred of my curls with an autograph to be auctioned in aid of giving places at a free school; there will never be any more curls from me so this is your last chance to own one."

He looked severely at the reporter who muttered

"Pass me the bag!" and said,

"Whilst, sir, you may not feel any sentimental attachment to a child's curls, plenty of people do; and I can please THEM and do good for a cause that I believe in. I do not suggest that you have no sentiment, for I am sure you sentimentally mourn the passing of a glass of beer when you gaze upon the bottom of the glass."

"You have his number, laddie!" said another reporter.

Chrys smiled primly. It had been a bit out of his projected character to come out with a sarcastic rebuke; but then Chrysogon Rufus WAS growing up; and it had been good while it lasted and now he might start to cultivate his own reputation as a poet and – he hoped – satirist.

oOoOo

Gorbrin was on train duty as usual and not having to worry about the Crabbes at the station was a relief. Kevin Slugworthy joined him, grinning.

"No kidnaps this term then – should be nice and boring" he said.

"Don't count your chickens until they've all been turned into guinea pigs" said Gorbrin.

Kevin chuckled.

Children were arriving loudly; most of them louder for having this year's must have Christmas stocking filler from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, My Little Flying Pony, which made realistic horse noises – from both ends – and if fed grass or hay compacted it on the inside and delivered it at the far end with a lift of the tail. It had a reservoir that could be filled too by feeding it water and might fly around spraying erratically.

"It's going to be a long, long term" said Gorbrin gloomily; the more so in point of the fact that his little brother Gennar had already managed to sabotage HIS little flying pony to increase the size of the reservoir with a bit of magic to open a portion of wizarding space that should have been out of the capabilities of a third year. It came of associating with Lilith. Gennar's pony now could pee for sixty seven minutes instead of the usual two and a half.

The Weird Marauders were hanging around waiting for one of their number; and when Chrys was duly delivered by his mother they all clustered around him, making very suspicious faces.

"It SOUNDS like Chrys" said Veronica

"And it SMELLS like Chrys" added Niobe

"But it LOOKS so normal!" finished Seth.

Chrys stuck his tongue out; which was about the limit of his permitted retaliation until they got through the barrier. The last thing Gorbrin heard as they went through together was Walter Crabbe's voice saying,

"We need to pull a really famous jape to celebrate me being shut of my parents!"

It WAS going to be a long term.

oOoOo

Lilith of course turned up singing the new number by the Broomstick Boys; they were breaking into the American market and had decided to write a song with the words of the chant to destroy the compulsion in the background and the lyrics covering the meaning; in the hopes it might at least reduce the compulsion in the States if it was played all over. They had written one verse in Gaelic – with help from Severus and hindrance from Lilith – but the rest was English. Lilith, being Lilith, had translated all the lyrics back into Gaelic to sing just because.

Gorbrin cuffed her affectionately as she went past on general principles.

oOoOo

"Right" said Walter as soon as the Weird Marauders had secured a compartment "I really want to break out in mischief; we were quite tame last year and we haven't done a thing yet this year. Only the idea I have so is going to make some people waxy that if anyone wants to back out I'll understand because I reckon it'll be massive impot time."

"Well it's not like we're in an exam year to need our averages if we get too many lines" said Chrys laconically "And actually you know I'd rather like to celebrate losing the curls."

"He looks ridiculously manly; it's almost scary" said Veronica.

"And besides" said Seth "I can now do all the mischief I like too because my dad isn't the head any more so I don't feel it behoves me to stay out of trouble."

"Pity Chrys doesn't sing" said Niobe "Put him and Seth next to each other and they're pretty enough to draw a crowd of adoring females, we could make a mint out of them if they could only sing too."

"You notice, Walter" said Hasibul "That you and I have the good fortune to be considered too plain to involve in such shenanigans."

"Just as well" said Walter.

Niobe flushed.

"I NEVER said you were plain!" she flashed "Just that the two of them stood together look rather precious, all ivory, ebony, gold and sapphire. And Lavazka with them all copper and fire to snare boys too."

"And after what the Broomstick Boys have to go through is enough to make me jolly glad that we DON'T sing" said Seth.

"I'm not about to sell my looks even only on stage" said Lavazka "There's a nasty name you get called for that."

"Yulan and I" said Purnima "Were actually wondering when you chumps were going to stop your blethering and let Walter tell us his idea".

"Indeed" said Yulan.

"Snide Ravenclaw gits" said Hasibul without rancour.

"I was thinking about gates" said Walter. "Gates to sort of redistribute the people who go through them; placed in corridors and taking them elsewhere in the castle."

"When you say redistributing, were you planning that each person who goes through gets sent randomly to a different place? Because I think that might be out of our league" said Chrys.

"No, sorry; I wasn't being that ambitious" said Walter "I was kind of thinking that we'd have them two way and in pairs which means people could go back through to just before the gate and then go round which will delay them less but just, you know, to make a bit of confusion. Say three or four gates would really completely make the whole school grind briefly to a halt; which is interfering with exam students kinda, but not very much and it's not the exam term."

"It is rather brilliant" said Veronica.

"Right" said Hasibul "We have a whole train journey to work out exactly where to put them and the to and froms of them."

Sketch maps of the castle were rapidly drawn; and much plotting was done.

oOoOo

The second were not the only ones to be plotting. In another compartment, Lilith, de-Gaeliced by the expedient of turning her green and declaring her a leprechaun, had returned herself to her normal appearance with aplomb and was holding forth.

"I had a thought" she said.

"Did it hurt?" asked Sextus.

"THAT one has whiskers on" said Lilith with scorn. "It was this term's jape. Well, the thought I thunked was not so much a jape but something to cheer us up in the dreary Scots February AND a boon to anyone else who wants cheering."

"Careful shortstuff; two almost virtuous japes in a row are going to strain your morals" said Sextus.

"Well tell us what it is and stop bickering with The Snideness" said Venus unfairly.

"I will if you baboons will stop chattering like the bandar-log and let me" said Lilith, equally unfairly. "I thought we might open a portal to somewhere sunny and take our leisure time there."

There was an admiring silence.

"It's actually fairly brilliant" said Gennar.

"Except for the snag that if we don't know anywhere sunny we can't actually open a gate to it" said Kazrael.

"There's India" said Jayashree "I know India!"

"That is a possibility, though I'm not sure if India might not be a bit too much of a good thing" said Lilith "Though with winter and it not being the monsoon season we can keep that in reserve; on account of how the bits you do know, we're likely to be tripping over your relatives. I was thinking of applying Geomancy and apparating somewhere like – oh New Zealand, a bit that's inaccessible to muggles, so we had a beach; on South Island it wouldn't be too much of summer's heat. It being in the southern hemisphere Gennar you baboon before you open your mouth to ask a stupid question about summer."

"Right, not opening mouth" said Gennar. "The seaside would be awfully nice."

"Has it passed you by, half pint" said Sextus "That such a level of Geomancy is really sort of NEWT level?"

"Well no, but you know, it's fairly easy apparation equations and not exactly difficult" said Lilith. "well I can do the calculations anyway and just point the rest of you in the right direction. And when we have a beach we have our place."

"I've never been to the beach" said Jayashree "Isn't it all dirty from the stuff muggles throw in the sea?"

"THAT's why we pick a place like New Zealand where they don't" said Lilith. "Atlas?"

Sextus produced one from his bag remarking that she was a lazy scrote who could have got hers out.

"Why should I when you'll get yours for me?" said Lilith "You've made an awful mess of embellishing some of the maps and turning them into cartoon characters."

"The ink vanishes on command in case Padfoot's prowling" said Sextus "I bought it in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes; and the joke is, I think Madam Padfoot invented it."

"That wouldn't surprise me" said Lilith "Well at least you've not defaced the Antipodes; probably because we've never done anything with them."

"Oh NO! She has the Antipodes! Don't let her give it to me, I don't want to die young!" cried Gennar.

The exploding pustules Lilith bestowed on him tweeted like birds as they burst and Gennar was sidetracked into bursting some of them prematurely to see if he could get a tune.

The rest decided that muggles seemed not to have done a lot with the western foothills of the Southern Alps; and decided to work out three locations to visit in their leisure hours with the intent of opening a seaside resort from the junior cloakroom.

"That way there are loos to hand and somewhere to stow our swimming cossies" said Lilith.

"Most of us haven't actually brought our cossies for this term" said Venus.

"Well we'll skinny dip then; the water ought to be warm enough and only the boys have anything to dangle out as shark bait" said Lilith.

This did necessitate her putting her ears back on and retrieving her fingernails from where they beat a frantic tattoo on the train window whilst making a bid for freedom.

"ARE their sharks?" demanded Jayashree "What if they come and attack?"

"Call yourself a witch!" declared Lilith "Shark exclusion zone; uh-uh UH! It's more reliable than the shark-repellent bat spray too" she added.

"Smart arse" said Jayashree.

"It's Half pint's problem" said Sextus "She really DOES know all the answers; she isn't half going to get a whack about the chops with a big chunk of hubris if she comes upon something she doesn't know."

Lilith beamed at him.

"I shall rely on you to rescue me" she said.

Sextus changed colour several times not sure whether to be pleased she relied on him or peeved for being taken for granted. He decided to be pleased, and snorted deprecatingly.

Naturally the idea of the ritual of opening a gate was not discussed; that was old news to any marauder.

oOoOo

The Pepperingye Marauders were similarly discussing japes; on the principle that as they were now in the fourth, this would be the last year they might reasonably be expected to undertake such.

"Question is, what?" said Charis "Every year it gets harder because all the really great ideas get done; and generally by Lilith and co which sort of steals our thunder a bit. Not that I grudge her being a genius" she added hastily "But our best stunts to date were joint ones with the Stripy Marauders."

"Oh I don't know" said Nathan "The hovercraft bed full of eels was all ours; and could you really improve on the look on McGonagall's face?"

Charis grinned.

"There is that" she said.

"And we DID do the spectacularly successful even if not to be talked about thing on the Genevieve Harris Fan Club" said U-may.

"But it WOULD be nice to do something public" said Tobala.

"Spectacular" added Jingjie.

"So long as it doesn't upset anyone" added Wanda. "There aren't too many of our house that need taking down a peg now Lilith neutralised Patil; Fawcett is a pain, but one can't really aim a jape at one person; it's kind of unfair."

"I suppose we could fill the school with penguins" said Charis

"Why penguins?" asked Nathan.

"Because they're silly" said Charis.

"We could play 'Mornington Cresent at people' said Nathan; and then had to explain the concept.

"We could do that anyway as a kind of low level irritant" said Tobala. "It's not a jape; penguins are better than that but not so nice for the penguins."

"Back to Labyrinth via talking hands and kind of taking into account Gorbrin's threat to set the stones on Baddock before he got better" said Jingjie thoughtfully "Howsabout we get the stones to be faces that make personal remarks?"

"It's kind of got to be done with art magic and heavy amounts of transfiguration" said Nathan "I might be able to pump Erica without her realising; it's a great thing to have a sister with a passion because she's going to launch into stuff about it without getting too suspicious."

"My cousin helped her and Randolph Wright to write the book" said Jingjie "I guess I could ask him what's in the syllabus and lead off from there because what about sculpture for people who don't want to paint."

"Your missions are clear!" grinned U-may. "And us girls will do library work."

"There are grooming mirrors" said Tobala suddenly "It's a level of enchantment reserved for NEWT but I bet I could pump Merciful Percival about it."

Professor Dweemer was a well known soft touch.

"You're dead right about that" said Nathan "Cousin Severus consigned a whole load of those sort of interfering mirrors to the junk stall when he cleared out Burke's shop. What we want to do is have faces pop out of the stones when people approach and maybe enchant their stone eyes to work like the mirrors."

"We might have to embed small mirrors in them for the eyes" said Tobala, for whom enchantment was a speciality "And build the sculpture around them, with shutting eyelids to then merge back into the wall."

"And with luck, the head might not even have us remove them" said Jingjie "Because things like that just add to the character of the castle; at least we could talk very fast and hope for him to see our point. Like snippy paintings."

"Heh" said Nathan "You want to hear what m'sister did in the hols; there was this graffiti artist except he was no artist, he was spraying 'fuck the pigs' on a wall; and Erica went over and told him that his message was not pretty and offended her; so as he said 'waddya gonna do about it, doll?' she smiled and said she'd already done it. She had too; the message now read 'love and peace' and was surrounded by flowers and hearts and she'd made it a surface that absorbed spray so he couldn't deface it. He was somewhat riled and not a little scared; and he hoofed it muttering about seeing some man who must have given him some bad stuff. Stuff is what muggle recreational drugs are, like the Elixir to Produce Euphoria only more so."

"Why did he want to put so rude a message on the wall?" asked Tobala.

"Because he was a poor sad git who couldn't create anything and was so unsuccessful he needed drugs to make him feel good and picked a scapegoat to be rude about" said Nathan. "Pigs is a nasty slang term for muggle aurors."

"Muggles are peculiar" said Wanda.

"Not really; just more numerous than us and so more of them are poor, hopeless and feel anger at society" said Nathan "With perhaps less cause than the poorest in our society since their poorest have more than our poorest; but as they all HAVE to go to school they get educated just enough to realise that there's still a big gulf between richest and poorest and some of them are as noisily resentful as some of the louder campaigners for goblin rights have traditionally been. Education isn't a privilege any more for muggles; it's a right but for some that's not seen as a right but a chore. It's the partly educated in our society that are the ones that are rabble rousers and complainers; they know enough to know they could have more. But at least in our society education is to be sought after, not avoided. And if you ask me, when we've got enough schools for everyone to go to, people should still be made to jump through a few hoops to get educated just to make sure nobody takes it for granted. I say, sorry; climbing off soapbox" he added.

"You keep that soapbox handy" said Charis "Marauders educate as well as defend. It IS marauder business. I say, are we there?"

oOoOo

David viewed the school assembled for the evening feast, to welcome them back for his second term as Headmaster of Hogwarts. And this term was, from his own experience and from all he had heard from Severus, the one most prone to mischief and pranks to enliven the days confined within.

"Welcome back to a New calendar Year and a new term" said David. "I look upon the shining, eager and innocent looking faces of various layers of Marauders and I have to say I am filled with deep suspicion and foreboding. And I'm sorry but I don't quite believe the shocked innocence either" he added dryly. "I'm not sure whether to ask you to consult and pace the, er, effects of your intended pranks or whether to ask you get them all over and done in a week, say. I DO suggest you consult and make sure you're not duplicating each other's efforts; that would be tedious. DO remember that the metalwork, potioneering and art work of some students IS exam work; I don't say anyone would deliberately harm it but a moment's carelessness can lead to accidents with things that are breakable like delicate constructs, sculptures, vials or the potions dungeon" he paused for a chuckle and for someone to call out

"That's Darren who breaks the potions dungeon!"

Darren Slugworthy grinned unabashed.

David smiled sympathetically and went on,

"On a serious note there ARE more items that are long term exam pieces; so I do ask everyone to be careful not to meddle with anything if any of you should be in the potions dungeon, the metalwork dungeon or the studio when there is no member of staff immediately apparent; curiosity is your enemy, do NOT yield to it to see what happens if you press THIS button or add THAT powder. I believe our sole art student protects her own work from prying fingers" he nodded to Erica who rose.

"Yes sir; a zone of laxative urges to anyone but me. Believe me, anyone who goes near my work is going to be discovered by smell" she smiled primly.

"You have been warned" said David. "Apart from that I hope you will feel you can ask intelligent questions of the artists, craftsmen and potioneers. I would suggest you don't ask silly questions or you'll doubtless be learning a certain poem by Kipling."

"'I keep six honest serving men'" said Lilith confidently to Kazrael "Daddy made ME learn it when I was six because he reckoned that 'seven million Whys' was a conservative estimate for my efforts."

David, who had heard that, hid a grin. Severus must have been sorely tried and yet so delighted with his enquiring and intelligent daughter!

He wondered what she had in store for the school this year and resolved to re-read his volume of collected Kipling Poems to find something appropriate for whatever it turned out to be.

He did not know that he but echoed Gorbrin when he reflected that it was going to be a LONG term!

oOoOo

*_thanks Trancefan for that idea! _


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Peeves accepted a cup of tea from the headmaster and looked at him suspiciously.

"Orright Mr Fraser, what's the catch?" he demanded "If you fink you can talk me inter reducin' me freedoms in the school, you cin fink agin, see?"

"Oh heaven forbid!" said David "And quite right of you to protest the same! No, Peeves, I just want to spend some time getting to know you. You are an integral part of Hogwarts; and I am now also, albeit more temporarily, a part of Hogwarts. We've fought together, Peeves, against Voldemort and against Odessa; which gives, I hope, a mutual respect. And you are a part of my growing up; part of the stable background of the only home I had after my parents died."

"Cor!" said Peeves "Well that's darnright nice of yer, Mr Fraser. Strike me, it is."

David grinned.

"I have to say I learned to appreciate you a whole lot more after a poltergeist moved into Prince Peak while I was teaching there; you are a lot more sophisticated than Spassmacher!"

"Yeah!" said Peeves, preening. "I am that; darnright sophisticated, me, innit!"

David hid a smile; there was no irony at all in Peeves.

oOoOo

Peeves celebrated being invited to tea and called sophisticated, by throwing water bombs at the second; who responded by cheerfully throwing them back. The marauders among them may have had higher magic on their minds, but responding to a water brawl was not outside of their enjoyment zone. As the second had a very keen bunch of cricketers amongst its number, Peeves was faced by some quite competent fielders who could catch and throw; and Zelinn Malfoy-Tobak, who was not as good at quidditch as her twin, but was a rather decent little batsman who promptly transfigured her transfigurations book into a cricket bat and knocked the water bombs that came near her clean back again.

Peeves retired wet.

"My sister's not half bad" said Zakala "It comes of having short square legs."

"You silly mid-off" responded Zelinn equably.

oOoOo

The result of this piece of cricketing led to the second being challenged to a game of beach cricket by the third on the next weekend followed by a beach barbeque. The geomancy was going well and they had got a location already after just a day's deliberations.

"And where in blazes are you going to get a beach worthy of the name in January in Scotland?" demanded Veronica not unreasonably.

"Wait and see" said Lilith mysteriously.

The Stripy Marauders had been flitting about New Zealand's south island and had found a perfect cove that was almost entirely inaccessible except by sea with, even more perfectly, a small fossil beach with a shallow cave. They were going to use the cave as their gate into the junior cloakroom and had decided that one of the shower stalls would do perfectly, because one might then also use the shower to wash off salt water and sand on the way back in. They duly labelled the shower stall 'New Zealand' and waited for the weekend, just checking out their facilities to make sure the swimming was perfect and to do a swum ritual to exclude sharks from the bay.

oOoOo

David received a visit from Lilith and Sextus.

"Miss Snape; Mr Scarpin. What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Please sir, we wanted to invite you to referee a game of beach cricket" said Sextus, getting in first.

David worked on not blinking in astonishment.

"That sounds delightful" he said cautiously "And er, where is this cricket match to be held?"

"New Zealand, sir" said Lilith.

"New Zealand? I've never been to New Zealand; I'd be delighted" said David, hoping he would be.

"No sir; nor had we until we applied Geomancy ruthlessly" said Sextus.

"You come through a shower in the junior cloakroom" said Lilith "Handy for washing off sand and salty water you see. Hats are de rigeur; we're not letting anyone come who isn't wearing one but we did get a collection of loan hats only some of them are a bit dippy. Otherwise it's not formal so you can dress down; most of us are just wearing shorts or swimming cossies."

"Hm, yes, well I think I might just wear a shirt" said David.

"Yes, some of the girls in our year are because they've got stuff to cover" said Lilith "But most of us are just going to rely on factor-vampire suncream."

"I think" said David "I'd like to see your er beach and see if I need to make any rules about visiting it."

They took him – Lilith holding his hand and dancing along beside him – to show him their cove.

David was impressed; it was unlikely to ever be invaded by muggles, and the terrain would too keep all but the most intrepid climbers or swimmers confined.

The little cave opened onto a raised and now grassy one time beach that was big enough to easily seat a couple of years' worth of spectators in comfort or hold – if they should decide to use it for that – enough tents for a MSHG Scout camp; it was a short scramble down onto a beach of soft white sand and nary a piece of gravel in sight. The cliffs from which the cave emerged swept round and thrust forward on each side of the bay in a protective promontory of rocks that held at their lowest levels rock pools for small people to peer into and be attacked by crabs in; and rose too high for convenient scrambling over. The arms of rock protected the bay from the worst of the Oceanic breakers; and a wave-cut platform of rock out in the bay indicated a possible diving place for those so inclined. David intended to check it out before giving the go-ahead for diving. The air was sweet and clean and, it being early evening in Hogwarts, was early morning here in New Zealand. The sky was eggshell blue, promising a richer hue later on and the sea was a rich turquoise. A gentle dawn breeze ruffled his hair. The spot was more or less what they had in mind when they invented the word 'idyllic' thought David.

"See?" said Lilith "Isn't it just perfect? AND we have a shark-repelling zone!"

"It is" said David "And that was a good precaution. Even so I'm going to lay down a rule that nobody goes swimming without at least two other people there to effect a rescue from, say, cramp; and that anyone visiting the beach should sign out in a book in case we need to know where they are. Will you accept that stipulation?"

"Oh yes sir; it seems fair enough" said Lilith "And people ought too to be banned if they haven't got a hat but that's harder to enforce; but if they've signed out and get sunstroke and need to be collected I guess that's a self inflicted impot."

"It is indeed" said David hiding a smile.

Actually the idea of somewhere the children might go rather than being confined indoors in the bad weather was an absolutely brilliant one; and might cut down on some of the bickering and strife that tended to erupt in bad weather, that was a far more worrying thing than the more creative eruptions of nefarious library work.

David intended to have a copy of the book in which pupils signed out, that automatically copied them doing so into the one in his office; and would make a 'bing' sound as anyone signed out; and a 'bong' when they signed back in. And on due consideration he thought that a detection device to light a small light in his office if anyone used the gate WITHOUT signing out might not be such a bad idea either. He would make the beach out-of-bounds without a signature; and if he had a light too for when people returned he might tick them off for not signing back in so that nobody knew to look for them. He would point out in such a tirade that the person involved might be burned in their bed if the staff, knowing who was supposed to be on the beach, did not bother to rescue any such foolish person for thinking them safe, if breaking bounds, in New Zealand. David added a rule that night time excursions, although daytime ones in New Zealand, were only to be effected with permission from the staff; and that at weekends, midnight swims in the middle of the Scottish daytime were only to be taken with extra illumination if the moon and stars were not sufficient.

The cricket match was to take place in the late afternoon, which would be dawn in New Zealand, and the Barbeque would take the place of supper for the participants before it got too hot in the New Zealand daytime. Lilith HAD thought of everything; and had even wheedled the co-operation of some kitchen elves to run the barbecue.

David also declared the beach out of bounds for first years without a prefect or sixth former to supervise or in a large group with staff permission. That might be left very fluid.

And the majority of the school looked blank when David announced the rules about visiting New Zealand until Zelinn piped up,

"You mean the Third have gone and opened a gate to NEW ZEALAND? I say that IS enterprising."

The Stripy Marauders rose and bowed.

"Lumme why didn't WE think of that in our salad days?" said Bella, in disgust. "Think of all the winter swimming we missed out on!"

"Handy for brewing Felix for our NEWT in Potions too!" said Mimi happily.

oOoOo

Damian Malfoy and Ludmila Yaxley promptly applied for permission to build a boat – under supervision of Hagrid – to explore the coast for magical animals and plants; and David hesitated and then agreed, on the proviso that they place spells on their boat to prevent any using it without permission. The two fifth years were more than capable of arranging that; and Hagrid would enjoy exploring the coast with them too so they would probably have a member of staff with them most trips in any case. He stipulated that they were not to go out of sight of the headlands that bordered the cove without a staff member; and that they should carry an alarm that would be tied to his office just in case. Faunus and Flora as the pair were known were sensible youths and happy to agree with such a stipulation. That they might put in to other coves when Hagrid was not there, to give them a chance to canoodle, was their business.

The Sunday of the match came on rapidly and the first, second and third were signed out in a body – the third invited the first along to be extra spectators – and a good time was had by all, which for Twelfth Night on a winter's weekend was good going. The second won the cricket match by a wicket, largely down to Zelinn's batting; several balls were irretrievable due to going too far out into the bay for the swimming fielders to find them; and Lilith, who fancied herself as a spin bowler, was thoroughly frustrated by the way Zelinn stoically dealt with her wickedest spins. Lilith ceded to Sextus, who was a slow bowler and finally got Zelinn out with a deceptively delivered wrong 'un.

The third applauded the second and all the junior school fell on the barbeque with appetites stimulated with fresh air and exercise.

It may be said that the excursion also led to a new craze; the collecting of shells and the various spinoffs thereof. Collecting shells and stones was enough for most of the younger ones; but some of the older ones wanted to try their hand at shell art, making boxes and picture frames to display their shells, and Dunbar Finch decided that pearl shell would be nice to decorate some of his metalwork projects. Dunbar had been draughted into the third's cricket team for being muggleborn and so acquainted with the game; he was an all round good sportsman, though it was quidditch he excelled at, and Hufflepuff's performance in the game frustrated him. It had been good to be in the all school team with a team that played well; and though they may have lost to Durmstrang it was not so humiliating a loss as he anticipated over the year for his house; because you could NOT base two teams on three good players. The use of pearl shell revealed a hitherto unexpected artistic side to the boy, and a willingness to let form follow function with a little bit of frivolity too. It was only going to be a matter of time, reflected David, before someone decided to start diving for pearls too; but that was a bridge to be crossed when it occurred to someone with a strong stroke that you might find pearl oysters as well as pearl shell in New Zealand.

And at that, such activities were probably safer than some of the activities he and friends had got up to in the Forbidden Forest and fighting Odessa and so on in their young day.

oOoOo

Heading towards his office and finding himself suddenly outside the kitchen David found a bit startling; but presumably it was either a jape or the castle having a hissy fit over something. If the castle could have a hissy fit. David was not entirely sure.

He tickled the pear in the still life and entered when it giggled because now he was here a pastry would not go amiss, and he had heard that the elves were doing things with flaky pastry, strawberry jam and cream.

He was not disappointed.

Replenished, he went back the way he had come and found himself in the length of corridor from which he had so unexpectedly deviated; a two-way gate then.

David took a different route to his office, drew up a rough marauders' map and marked the gate ends on it. He could have drawn an ordinary geomantic map but David had learned his mapping from Sirius and had used the marauder's map extensively in his own youth; and thought that making one of his own as headmaster might not be a bad idea, and he would use it to temporarily mark the aberrant gate, which was doubtless only one of several.

Tony Queach was on duty to prowl this evening and he might note where Tony's footsteps suddenly disappeared and reappeared; why do the exploring for himself when he could sit back and let Tony do it? After all, Tony was a Ravenclaw and they enjoyed these little mysteries and unsolved problems.

Tony's footsteps duly disappeared from an upstairs corridor and reappeared in the dungeons; turned around and reappeared from whence he had come. Which was, as David reflected, just like a Ravenclaw, to research the obvious straight away rather than being sidetracked.

Personally he preferred strawberry and cream sticky things to worrying about exactly what some mad group of marauders were up to.

He marked the position of the second pair of gates and put on the kettle ready to pour tea for when Tony stormed in full of indignation.

Tony was just in time for the kettle to boil and blinked when David poured out into two cups set ready.

"I say, David, I know Albus was omniscient but I REFUSE to believe it goes with the job!" he said sounding almost injured.

David smiled in his best Albus Dumbledore fashion.

"I rather thought you might want to consult me about the apparent outbreak of gates infesting sundry portions of the school" he said.

"Sundry – you mean there's more than one pair? Dammit, David, how do you know I got caught in one?"

"It's why they pay me more I suppose" said David. "There's one from the corridor that is the shortcut from the groundfloor classrooms to the main hall and just outside the kitchen too; and I'm betting there's likely to be a third one somewhere. Care to split up and go looking after our tea and meet back here to compare notes?"

"Why not?" said Tony. "We need to track them all down. Sure there won't be more?"

"No not at all" said David. "It depends which group of marauders is responsible – I AM rather assuming marauders; they tend to be the only pupils enterprising enough and capable enough."

"The beach was a jolly good idea" said Tony "The Stripy Marauders actually have some half decent ideas; I wish I'd seen that idiot Tim Gregory caught in the Bog of Very Long Lasting Stench making flatulent noises."

"It was rather lush" grinned David. "Yes, I'm ruling out the Stripy Marauders on grounds that they only ever do one thing per term; and they haven't had time to run around New Zealand finding a beach AND setting up random gates; even Lilith has her limitations in magic as well as in bowling."

"We'll slaughter St Jodoc's this summer" said Tony in deep satisfaction, sidetracked briefly onto cricket. "The brats in the first can't manage gates surely?"

"I don't THINK so" said David cautiously. "That makes it either the Pepperingye Marauders in the fourth or the Weird Marauders in the second. I know the fourth are longing to do something they can get into trouble for honestly; I asked them to sit on their last endeavour, since it involved breaking up the Harris girl's admirers. Intricate and clever; but NOT for general publication. There are seven of them and they're perfectly capable of setting up a two-way each; which could be up to seven. There are nine marauders in the Weird Marauders; and somehow I think they'd play safe by having someone at each end; which is four, or possibly five if either Walter or Chrys decided they could manage one alone, they being the most capable in that bunch."

"As Walter should be; he's well capable of a remove back to the fourth" said Tony.

"And if he's happy where he is, why should I move him?" said David. "I thought I'd offer him a few OWLs a year or two early if he likes; no reason I can't be flexible. Chocolate biscuit?"

"Cheers. Yes, that is the best solution. I suppose we'll be chanting to undo them; the marauders of each year are always my best students."

"Creative devilment; can't beat chanting for it" said David "That and library work. Lilith informed me once that libraries were there primarily to plan mischief and I fear it's the generally held belief of all Marauders."

"You never were a marauder, were you?" asked Tony.

"No; I was a supporter of Harry and co; and a year older than the New Marauders" said David. "It never seemed quite right. And yes I do know all the marauding secrets even so; I'm an honorary marauder for my tenure as headmaster."

"And I suppose that's how you knew I got diverted….. it's very disconcerting when you ARE being omniscient."

"From the point of view of the kids, that's a good idea" said David. "If they think I'm omniscient they won't try to pull the wool over my eyes. Minerva! Tea?"

The head of Gryffindor had knocked and entered.

"Headmaster, there's aye a muckle problem wi' the passages" said Minerva.

"Ah, you found one of the gates" said David. "Where were you and where did you fetch up?"

Minerva gave him a jaundiced look.

"And I thocht Albus wis bad enough" she said. "I wis aboot tae come doon the back stairs frae Gryffindor Tower and I fetched up in a Ravenclaw box room" she said.

"Well that's three" said David. "Have a cup of tea, Minerva; Tony and I were about to search for others. My theory is there will either be one more; or three, depending on who set it up."

oOoOo

On his travels – with the marauding map – David encountered a slightly bemused Erica Malfoy.

"I'm not really wandering willy nilly sir" she said "I encountered a space-time inconsistency."

"Ah!" said David cheerfully "You found one of the nefarious gates. Where was yours?"

"Slytherin House to just outside the Room of Requirements" said Erica. "And as I was on my way to the loo I managed to get the Room of Requirements to fulfil my needs; it's a trifle inconvenient. Do you know who's responsible or do you want me to dig?"

"Oh I've a fairly good idea" said David. "I'm just prowling about testing theories for now."

"Right-oh sir!" said Erica cheerfully. "Scrag the bats for me a little bit, won't you?"

"You'd have been less inconvenienced if you had bothered to put your slippers on" said David sternly. Erica pulled a face.

"Yes sir, I know; serves me right" she said. "Actually I've now woken up enough to realise I can use elf style apparation to go back to bed. Good night!"

oOoOo

Neither David nor Tony uncovered any more gates; they removed the effects with hasty chanting. Consequently at breakfast David requested the presence of the Weird marauders in his office after breakfast.

"The gates were an inconvenience" said David.

"We sort of had to break out in mischief sir" said Walter "Well I had to; it sort of seemed impossible not to, but it was my idea."

"We all helped mind" said Chrys "And we all voted it a jolly cool idea. We worked it all out most carefully to give people alternative routes that wouldn't take much longer and we did discard the idea of opening any into dorms because it would be a bit of a shock if a male professor walked in on a bunch of teenage girls; and none of the male staff deserves such a horrid experience OW!" as Niobe poked him.

"Well at least you looked on it in a responsible fashion; which is better than I might have hoped for from second years" said David. "One each end and one spare?"

"Yes sir" said Walter.

"It was extremely smoothly and competently done" said David "And despite that I'm going to set you five repetitions of Kipling's 'Road Through the Woods' the relevant bit about that poem is that it ends 'But there is no road through the woods' and there are no more gates. Very well, dismissed; you have until the end of the weekend to do your lines."

Which could have been, as Veronica said, a whole lot worse.

oOoOo

Less than two weeks in and two levels of Marauders satisfied in the japes stakes; that couldn't be bad, thought David. And strictly speaking the group in the first were NOT marauders; so were not morally obliged to entertain the school with japes.

Which was just as well since Seb and Balduk seemed to feel a need to entertain the school with fireworks and entertained Gryffindor Tower a bit more than most people would have liked – though strictly speaking it was NOT their fault – when Hubert McLaggan threw 'a load of old rubbish' on the common room fire.

The 'old rubbish' was firework making kit – Seb had collected toilet rolls as bases for rockets, intending to laminate two together – and the resultant explosions brought the chimney pot clear off the top of the stack and required several fire-suppressant spells and a rapid evacuation of the common room. Jordan Christie as head boy of Gryffindor had a great deal to say about the matter to a singed and shocked McLaggan; since it was NOT his business to decide that someone else's box of hobby stuff was 'rubbish'; and that burning the hobby stuff of a kid constituted bullying of the worst kind even if their hobby did not appeal to others; and some people were adept at turning rubbish into clever models and, said Jordan, just because McLaggan was too mindlessly stupid to be able to see riches from rubbish he had no right to take out his jealousy for his major deficiencies on those who were more creative; and it had served him right that he had lost his eyebrows and the front of his hair and several layers of skin and no he could NOT go to Pepperup Poppy until he knew just how much in the doghouse he was for his unconscionable nastiness as well as being stupid enough to not check for inflammables.

"Yes" said Neesa "I have a box of rubbish that I'm turning into dolls' house furniture and there's a big tube of muggle glue in there that explodes if you try to cook it. It's got all sorts of warning symbols on it. He's got at me about my boxes before, Christie; I bet he thought it was my stuff because he doesn't like me because I think Lilith Snape is wonderful and he can't bear it that she's way cleverer than he'll ever be even though she's younger."

There was enough truth in this to make McLaggan look uncomfortable and to flare at Neesa that he didn't care about her stupid hobby and no wonder it was stupid as she was adopted by nothing but a squib and a muggle because nobody else wanted her.

The rest of the Lifemunchers in Gryffindor went into action at that point to protect their own before even any marauders could react; and McLaggan had to be taken to Madam Pomfrey on a string because he was floating, spherical, purple, farting uncontrollably and with his frantically fluttering ears in a box from which they were trying to escape. Jordan informed Madam Pomfrey that he was an egregious little racist bully who had blown himself up in trying to bully a first year in destroying his property and that Madam McGonagall was going to know of it since she would be writing to his parents for the debt of the property he had destroyed.

Madam Pomfrey did not like bullies so McLaggan was assured of short shrift.

And Jordan Christie DID intend that McLaggan's parents be billed for the cost of the gunpowder and other sundries that Seb had in his hobby box.

Wanton destruction of property was as bad as, if not worse than, theft.

And once he had been restored to a normal appearance, McLaggan had a very uncomfortable interview with Minerva McGonagall who was also scathing about a boy who felt a need to make a comment so unkind to a first year – she rolled every r excessively – as to say that nobody wanted her. Minerva put him on warning; so nasty a racist comment was enough that if he ever came out with anything similar it would get him expelled. Minerva also added tartly that without the training from Colonel Smith, Neesa's adoptive father, probably some of the school would have died in the battle for Hogwarts against Voldemort and his forces.

"And ye'd better hope, laddie, that this never has tae go tae the hidmaister" she said "For Anastasius Smith is ane o' his closest friends and he'll no' tak' yer comments quietly forebye."

The Stripy Marauders in Gryffindor, Hasibul and Venus, had a further solution.

As they had a special relationship with Argus Filch through Lilith they ratted up McLaggan and his comments on squibs to the caretaker, knowing full well that Argus would take a delight in catching the boy at anything irregular and setting him smelly and dirty tasks for it.

Argus also had help from the Stripy Marauders in putting back the chimney pot, as they excelled at hovering charms; and he was very grateful. McLaggan was in for a bad time.

oOoOo

David heard about the incident unofficially when taking tea with Argus – he had gone to the caretaker's office to invite him to tea and stayed to have one with Argus – and was most indignant.

"Hanging in chains; too good for 'im" said Argus gloomily.

"Somehow I doubt he's got the brains to register why he's not flavour of the month" said David gloomily "That even hanging in chains would not overcome. Well, the term can only get quieter from now on; it's had enough excitements for a whole term and we're not two weeks into it yet."

"Ar, well, at least them young limbs of marauders think things through and are no REAL trouble" said Argus "Not like the original marauders, Mr Black and Mr Potter primarily; pair o' hellions they was, and as like to this McLaggan boy as makes no odds."

"Argus; you are brilliant!" said David. "I wonder if it might work, telling him about them? He's a self opinionated fool, but I don't think he's a BAD boy; just thoughtless and inclined to parrot back crap that he's heard from some pompous paternal prig."

"You been taking lessons off Professor Snape" said Argus.

David grinned.

"I WAS his ward" he said. "He, like Albus, Sirius, Minerva, and you has ever been an influence in my life. Hogwarts is my home; and I want to make it as stable for all the children here. And that sometimes means punishing them of course to give them an idea of acceptable behaviour. Yes, I'll try it" he added.

oOoOo

Hubert McLaggan was nervous about being asked to the headmaster's office.

David nodded to him.

"Hubert" he said "This is an informal chat; because I've heard nothing formally about any explosive incident or any aftermath. But I want to tell you a story; and introduce you to somebody."

David had already had a chat with the portrait of James Potter and had borrowed the Gryffindor copy. He proceeded to tell Hubert the story of the original Marauders and how they had driven at least two people to become Deatheaters by their hearty self-opinionated behaviour; including one of their own fellows, who had betrayed James and Lily to their death and caused the scar on Harry Potter. Naturally Hubert McLaggan admired Harry Potter; he was Gryffindor House's great hero. He was shocked by the revelations about the famous young man's father.

"Somebody mentioned to me that you are rather by way of being much like James Potter" said David "Ready to bluster with a smart but not clever tongue without thinking how deep a hurt you might cause – I DO hope you realise how much you might hurt an insecure adoptive child away from home for the first time? Fortunately Neesa is a well adjusted child who thinks you silly. And, incidentally, I had been going to adopt her myself when I first bought her to prevent her from being sold in Diagon Alley to a pervert; and being still at school I was much relieved that Grace and Anastasius thought her adorable when I ran into them. Lionel Dell was with me and we were discussing pooling our pocket money for her keep. So nothing could be further from the truth than that nobody wanted her. To say that to ANY child is disgusting even when it is true; I'm sure you wouldn't like it if your fellows said that nobody likes you. And I fear unless you learn a better attitude, that WILL become true; as it was for James and Sirius. Remus Lupin always was unconditionally friends with them because of their support of his furry little problem; but I'm going to hand you over to James Potter and let him have his say."

David brought the painting out from beneath the table and propped it up.

"It shames me to admit it, Hubert, mate" said James "But I'm afraid you ARE rather like I was before Lily – my wife – made me grow up. You're a bit of a twat; I know. I was one too. I hurt Sev Snape bad enough that it could have made so much bad blood between him and my son that Harry might not have had the strength to fight Voldemort; and THEN where would you be? I'll tell you mate, you'd have been ruddy well oppressed. But Sev Snape is a big enough bloke to get over it; and he supported Harry as much as if he was his own father. And Lilith Snape was born into that and it's moulded her; and you don't have to like the fact that she's cleverer than any other kid four years older than her let alone two but it's a fact of life; and clever kids need as much nurture as dim ones. And believe me, she IS her father's daughter and if she wasn't stretched I bet she'd remember that you've gone out of your way to pick on her – like I went out of my way to pick on Sev – and you wouldn't spend a moment at school without wondering what booby trap you'd fall into next. Believe me, kid, it's in your interest that she's taking a plethora of exams – which is what you moan about in the common room a whole load. The Smith kid was just someone to gripe at who was an easy target; and as a one time unintentional bully I understand that too. You think way too much of yourself because you ARE cleverer than eight out of ten of the class; and from your preschool acquaintances one of the things you're sore about is that it isn't all of them. Now I didn't care; being cleverer at japes was enough for me, and so long as I was good enough that was, well, good enough. I guess if I'd lived I might have lived to regret that. You CAN make yourself show better by harder work instead of brooding on who's better. You could read some of the learned periodicals like the modern marauders do; much healthier organisation it is these days. And if I was you, I'd try to love yourself for who you are, not for who you think you ought to be. You'll find it a lot more comfortable. Right, lecture over; thanks for arranging this, David mate; it needed to be said."

"Thank you sir, I think" said Hubert.

"And if you ARE enough like me" said James "Once you've had a brief sulk to digest it, I shan't have to tell you what to do next."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Hubert McLaggan made a public apology to Neesa in the Gryffindor common room; and Neesa, being a happy child, accepted it cheerfully and shook his hand and accepted that he had not meant to be a bully through letting his negative thoughts make him behave badly. He also apologised to Seb and asked Jordan if it was too late to ask Madam McGonagall to accept payments from his pocket money rather than have his father troubled. And Jordan, impressed despite himself said he would see about it.

As Minerva was waiting to cool down before she wrote a letter in as icily correct English as her Scots was incomprehensibly broad in speech when angered, Jordan prevailed on her to defer writing as the boy appeared to have found big enough ones to apologise. Minerva raised an eyebrow at the wording but let it pass.

oOoOo

McLaggan went to seek out Lilith.

Lilith viewed him with deep suspicion.

"I'm not doing care of magical beasts today, McLaggan, I don't need you around to practise on" she said rudely.

McLaggan flushed and pursed his lips.

"I WAS going to make an apology to you" he said "But if you're not interested…"

Lilith blinked.

"All right; I'm sorry I got my retaliation in first and inappropriately" she said.

"I wanted to say I never knew about James Potter and how I'm like him and it's a bad path to get onto" said McLaggan. Lilith's brow cleared.

"Oh! Did Fido tell you all about it?" she asked.

"WHO?"

"Professor Fraser I should say" said Lilith blushing "It was his nickname at school, account of being a dog animagus like Sirius Black. He was my dad's ward so I have to remember to make respectful and not treat him like a spare brother; like Harry. He's pretty wise is Professor Fraser; Professor Dumbledore knew what he was about picking him even if he is a bit younger than some of the fossils they've wheeled into the headship in the past."

"Have you any respect…. Yes you have; you just have a MOST disrespectful way of putting things, Snape!" said McLaggan.

"It's a little hard to be dutifully worshipful of people you've ridden on the backs of when you're a babe" said Lilith. "And I haven't actually got any respect for Armando Dippet who got suckered by Tom Riddle, and I haven't got a huge amount for Phineas Nigellus either. Not when I've seen him sulking in a painting with his bum wiggling in disapproval. DID David tell you?"

"Yes; and he got up the portrait of James Potter from the common room to give me a talking to" said McLaggan. "I never knew it was a portrait of JAMES Potter; I guess I always assumed it was Harry Potter and so wouldn't be able to talk."

"They are alike to look at" said Lilith "Except Harry has Lily's eyes. I'm kinda partly named for her because of dad and James both being sweet on her. It was one of the things that was a contentious matter between them. Well James would tell it like it is without a shred of tact but without laying it on thick either."

"Shred of tact? You talk about tact?"

"It is rather a case of pots and cauldrons, isn't it?" agreed Lilith cheerfully "Mummy assures me I'll learn reticence and discretion with age. Mother Sirri says as my mum hasn't I'm not hardly likely too either and then they both giggle and mother Dione rolls up her eyes and sighs; because when you're THAT close you can be rude to each other and it doesn't mean anything like I call Sec a Baboon and he calls me Halfpint. Has it helped? Talking to James?"

"I – I don't want to be a bully; being called a bully was a shock. He helped me think things through; because he's seen me, he can see me as others do and see how it related to his behaviour and helped me realise some things" said McLaggan.

"Then you're a man" said Lilith. "And I say, you should work on being squeaky clean around Mr Filch, who's a squib, because we ratted you up to him about being rude about Colonel Smith. And we can't really UNrat you just because you realise you've been a bit of a prat, so the best thing is not to give him anything to find fault with. I know I haven't helped because if you give me peas I so am going to give beans back; and I'm not going to try to help being childish for a whole nother year at least because I AM a child and I don't see why I shouldn't enjoy it to the full while I can because I'll be ancient and in the fifth soon enough as inevitably as death and taxes."

"You're also the wordiest kid in the school and it makes me breathless to listen waiting for you to come up for air" said McLaggan.

"Breath control; it's vital for chanting. Chanting is vital for the best japes" said Lilith "I can't think HOW people managed to pull japes before daddy reinvented chanting. They must have either been very resourceful or their japes must have been jolly boring!" she considered "I'll ask Harry" she said.

"How do you manage to do all that schoolwork AND japes?" demanded McLaggan.

"Well you see, a lot of schoolwork is catching up on the stuff we've already researched for japes" said Lilith "We had to look in NEWT level Geomancy books to visit New Zealand to find a place to open a gate; and I guess gates are sort of highish level enchanting. But handy. Library work; it's essential" said Lilith "And library work usually then comes in handy for schoolwork too. I don't have one of them useful sorts of memories that recalls everything I've ever read – I wish I had – but I DO remember where I read something I kinda mostly recall so I can go look it up. I tag interesting stuff to the picture on the cover" she added.

"That's a handy trick" said McLaggan.

"I use the same thing by scrawling notes in my margins – and writing stuff down helps you learn it anyway – and sometimes doodles" said Lilith. "My recipe for Felix Felicis has cartoons of Draco looking dippy as Lord Convolvumort and Harry poking Riddle with Gryffindor's big knife."

"I suppose you're brewing that for NEWT"

"No; I thought, actually I should be able to get a good enough grade with Veritaserum and if I don't I have leisure to retake; which is lazy I guess, but I can't afford the physical effort of doing too much, account of being still growing. And having a _nawful_ lot of growing to do" she added with a sigh. "I SO would like to reach five feet tall one day; I don't dare hope for any more."

"Why ARE you so short?" McLaggan asked curiously.

Determining with a glance that it was only curiosity Lilith shrugged.

"Apart from the fact that all Malfoys are slight, Daddy thinks it was the fumes of powdered Chinese dragons' heart mummy breathed in that made her go into premature labour; you know the story?"

McLaggan nodded; he had heard the story.

"I say, how does your dad feel about James Potter?" he asked.

"Oh dad and Prongs are good friends now" said Lilith "Like he and Sirius and Remus – er, Professors Black and Lupin – are like brothers. They voted dad a marauder to help Harry. I guess it was a weird sort of time; those that would fight were brothers regardless of age because the ministry was just full of a mix of fatuous fools and the criminally greedy."

McLaggan sniggered.

"My dad says those of the ministry with two brain cells to rub together use them to defraud the tax payer" he said.

Lilith considered.

"Actually on that in nine cases out of ten I agree with your dad" she said. "MY dad says, with a few exceptions those that aren't moronic are aspiring to attain imbecility; he says that of first years sometimes too" she added. "I say, we're managing to be civil to each other; is it dangerous?"

Mclaggan managed a laugh.

"I guess we know a bit more about each other" he said. "Shake and move on?"

Lilith gladly shook hands; she had always been faintly puzzled by McLaggan's animosity as by Roxanne Shacklebolt's. And if one who went out of their way to try to put her down even before she had started retaliating was about to become at least neutral it had to be good.

oOoOo

Meanwhile it may be said that tigers approved of New Zealand. The early morning run had convened on the beach when the weather in Scotland was too bad, and Bella remarked wistfully as she and Assim lingered instead of going to spell practise with the others that it would be nice to spend the night there which might be broad daylight, but an awning would produce a nice spot of shade.

Assim hesitated.

"Hrrr" he said "Bella, I do not want to be alone with you; or rather I do, wherein lies the problem."

"There are starfish to chaperone us" said Bella, hopefully. "Besides, I may only be an 'E' grade student in Potions but Mimi or Maud would whip me up some contraceptive draught just in case."

"I'm old fashioned" growled Assim. "If we spend the night there, you will be in human form and I as a tiger; it should help."

Bella snuggled at him; he had capitulated.

"Maybe I should transfigure into a mermaid" she chuckled "Then I'd be safe from the waist down."

"How DO merfolk….." Assim was curious despite himself.

"Like fish I suppose; or retractable bits. Dunno" said Bella.

"I love you, my delectable and beautiful Bella" said Assim, purring and absently swiping his tongue across her face. It was faintly rough even in human form. Bella purred and put up her mouth for a kiss; and got one.

He left her trembling with the passion of their embrace; then he changed form, held her down to wash her firmly all about the face neck and ears. Bella squealed and giggled; she could not help it.

Then she climbed on his back while he gambolled in and out of the waves.

oOoOo

Nancy Dippet caused the next moment of excitement. She was struggling in Transfigurations to turn her dormouse into a teapot, and her dormouse responded in the way animals have to fright and sprayed the surrounding desks with something that smelled at least partly like tea; and after the class Tancred Dagworth decided to sneer at her that it was hardly worth her while being at a school of witches and wizards since she hardly constituted the definition of 'witch'.

"In fact, Pustule" he said "You're not even a squib because squibs are at least aren't a danger to others."

Even phlegmatic Nancy could not pass that up.

"Well take THIS as a danger to you, you creep, and I NEVER said YOU could use my nickname!" she cried, levelled her wand and let fly.

All the class except Dagworth were promptly covered in suppurating pustules.

Nancy was devastated.

The Marauders in the class absently sorted out their own pustules and those of other people.

"Oh Pustule" said Ruth Dixon, a fellow Hufflepuff "It WOULD have served him right and I'd have gladly had pustules to take Dagworth down a peg or two."

"Let ME" said Lavazka "Because it's pretty swinish to get at someone who's power is still uncontrolled; and for some people it takes longer than others to settle down."

"It's one reason we don't start serious study until the third" said Seth, who had heard Albus discussing this with David "BECAUSE hormones can interfere with stuff. Don't worry Pustule; you're fine at charms and DADA and you can add up quicker than Dagworth too."

"And he NEEDS to feel what it's like to be laughed at the big git" said Lavazka, levelling her own wand.

Dagworth whipped out his and fired off a stinging hex that Lavazka countered with a wave of her left hand as she cast her own spell.

Tancred Dagworth not only sported exploding boils reading 'git' across his forehead but also had an excrescence on the end of his nose comprising tiny tentacles that wriggled obscenely.

"Hey!" he cried, feeling for his nose and pulling his hand away in disgust.

"That more or less what you had in mind, Pustule?" asked Lavazka.

"MORE than what I had in mind; THANK you" said Nancy. "I wish my wand did what I meant it to."

"You were chosen by a wand not stuck with a second hand one like Albert MacMillan?" asked Chrys who was laughing heartlessly at his house fellow. He and Tancred did NOT get on.

"Yes; but somewhere between formulating the thought and letting it out of my wand I get flummoxed" said Nancy forlornly "At least, I do in transfigurations. And the pustule jinx is a transfigurational one."

"What you need to do is just to think of it as a jinx, not try to classify it" said Lavazka "You are fine in DADA; I think you worry too much because you have difficulty with the theory behind transfigs. You have oodles of power or you'd never have stuck pustules on all of us; if you ask me, you need to go directly from one picture in your head to the finished article without thinking about the in-betweening."

"Yes; Kinat says" said Veronica "That Professor Fraser used to moan like mad about transfigurational theory and then only went and turned himself into a griffon in the triwizard because he can do the pure raw power stuff but has trouble with the theory."

Pustule Dippet brightened.

"Thank you; I'll give that a go next time" she said.

"You reckon that's what the trouble is Lavvi and Ronni?" asked Hasibul later.

"Haven't a clue" said Veronica "And don't call me that; it's unfeminine. Nonni I accept bit even that's a babyish. Anyway, if we can make Pustule FEEL as though she can succeed she's heaps more likely TO succeed. Magic is a question of mind over matter."

"Yeah" said Chrys "we don't mind and Dagworth doesn't matter."

oOoOo

Minerva McGonagall managed to restore – with some effort – Dagworth's nose to normal; and complained in the staffroom to Sirius that it was just like Severus to reintroduce marauding into the school and then promptly go off and leave her to deal with the fruits of it. As Minerva had no liking for the boy, and had heard some of his comments to Nancy, she had left him to the fruits of marauding so her plaint was not entirely fair; but the nasal excrescence had been extremely hard to remove; largely because Lavazka had used naming magic to turn the said nose into Dread Cthulu just because. ( Minerva had taken the pustules on Dagworth's forehead to a point where they would heal on their own and he must put up with fading scars still reading 'git'.

It was, after all, fair comment.

Lavazka received lines – once Minerva had found out the source of her inspiration – in the form of a critique of H.P. Lovecraft's fantastic creations.

It had been perhaps a mistake since she discovered that Lavazka had heard of Assimilative Correlation and suggested using it, by association, to turn Dagworth entirely into Nyarlathotep the Crawling Chaos as being more amusing than turning him into a festeringly rabid flobberworm.

As this was supposedly a part of Lavazka's critique, in using Dagworth as an exemplar of how loathsome were the creatures of the Cthuloid Mythos Minerva cold scarcely take issue.

Minerva asked David for an explanation couched in more comprehensible terms about the fictional world of H.P. Lovecraft and gave him Lavazka's essay to read.

When David had finished laughing he gave her a brief résumé of the background, pointed out that it was rather exotic reading for twelve year olds, and decided to find out how come Lavazka was reading such.

Lavazka admitted cheerfully that she had borrowed a book from Leo Black-Weasley and didn't understand above half of it but that she'd back marauders against any of the Old Ones any time and asked David if H.P. Lovecraft might have had the names suggested to him by Fey Great Form Spirits to get power whenever they were mentioned.

It had not occurred to David who had a horrid feeling about things like that; and he suggested firmly that just in case, wizarding children should NOT be discussing such things until such time as harder and less vulnerable wizards had looked into it.

Lavazka beamed.

If it turned out that she was correct in her paranoid guess that ought to help the grown ups deal with the nasties; and if she was wrong, well it gave the grown ups some entertainment in finding out.

oOoOo

Minerva had not had enough of marauders that week since she overheard Lilith explaining to sundry NEWT students that it didn't matter how closely they managed to associate a fiddle with a cat by Assimilative Correlation by Association, since one could turn any object into a cat by simple Assimilative Correlation by Nomenclature.

"All right" said Erica "I'll bite."

Lilith grinned.

"Well you just TransMOGGYfy it" she said.

There were loud groans and sounds of Lilith giggling as she was poked; and Minerva retired to her office wondering whether for Lilith and her little mother that would actually work.

oOoOo

David meanwhile set up some careful wards, set Ellie on overwatch, and undertook specific summonings using the names in the Cthulu books; and was mightily relieved not to get anywhere. They really were just made up names; though one did wonder whether Lovecraft had subtly altered names of things he had some knowledge of. There were some things it might be better not to know.

Minerva had a quiet word too with Lilith; and asked her if she felt up to bringing her, er, unique perceptions to those who found transfigurations challenging; and Lilith beamed at her and promptly set up a transfigurations club for anyone with trouble turning anything bar chocolate into a full tummy, as Lilith put it. Nancy Dippet was one of the first people to sign up.

They held the club on the beach since it was a little hard to accidentally break New Zealand even for the most erratic transfigurationist.

This put a slight crimp in the ardour of those older ones who had discovered that in addition to the raised beach there were any number of little grassy hollows amongst the rocks where one might canoodle in peace, until such time as Percis Fawcett turned a glove into a dove which was so surprised it promptly dropped a pile of guano on Gorbrin and Meliandra.

It may be said that Balthazar Kirke, who was working on overcoming his tiger phobia, managed to overcome it a bit further when happening on Assim washing a giggling Bella while looking for his jerboa.

The jerboa was the compromise over kangaroos, which Madam McGonagall had considered excessive; the idea was to turn them into sheep because when you crossed a kangaroo with a sheep you got a woolly jumper.

Lilith may have been unconventional but her very relaxed classes did seem to produce results. Not always the expected results, but at least she got transfigurations happening.

"And at that, maybe there's aye something in using Assimilative Correlation by awfu' pun" sighed Minerva "But I'm afraid I've no' the warped imagination yon young limb seems tae have."

It should not be assumed that all of Lilith's pupils managed a total success in their transfigurations, though there was an obvious improvement; Alcippe Chevallier, who was not too proud to learn from a kid in her own year, still had a sheep that jumped; and Michelle Makepeace, who wanted to pass all the compulsory exams, had unbent to try to improve her skills and had managed a jerboa with a fleece.

The third were the oldest members of Lilith's class; the fifth were, as a year, rather good at transfigurations – which was the way it went in the same way that the second were as a year rather poor – and the fourth acquitted themselves well enough except for Wanda Waffling who was getting help from the rest of the Pepperingye Marauders and a Hufflepuff boy who kept himself to himself and would not learn from some Slytherin kid. It was unclear whether Lilith's worst crime was being a kid, or being a Slytherin, but Lilith shrugged and said 'his loss' which all agreed with, even Michelle Makepeace who was glad she had decided to be sensible. She had managed to transfigure a guinea fowl into a guinea pig in class since Lilith's explanations without more than a minimum flurry of feathers at the tail.

And if Heath Barbary's sheep chittered rather than bleating he had managed the Guinea Fowl to Guinea Pig transfiguration so long as his Guinea Pig had guinea-gold fur. Which was an improvement on turning a guinea fowl into a pile of guineas.

Nancy Dippet was doing better having been told to ignore the theory and just go right ahead and picture the result because when it came to a written paper she could make up any old rubbish so long at it sounded plausible like, said Lilith airily, the headmaster had and HE got an 'O' at NEWT in Transbullshitting.

"It helps that he really is good at the practical" said Sextus sardonically.

"Yeah, but so's Pustule, when she stops thinking about it" said Lilith "Professor Fraser grew up a muggle; he thinks in a different way. Pustule just has a logical mind that can't make the leaps of faith that are wizarding logic by the rules of Emeric Switch. So she needs to apply raw power and forget the wizarding logic. Neither way is right or wrong; like the muggle way is not right or wrong. Just, you can't expect everyone to think the same way as Professor Switch; it's a guide that makes things easier for nine people out of ten. The tenth has to ignore him and get creative."

"It's very kind of you to help me" said Nancy "Well to help all of us. The rules DON'T seem logical."

"They are, but only if you look at them from THAT point of view" said Lilith "Which is to say they have a logic if you accept the initial philosophy. I don't generally bother because I know I have the raw power; which is kinda lazy when I can do it the accepted way I suppose but why should I? And there IS a discipline too in clearing your mind and not letting extraneous thoughts intrude so you can use raw power. You'll do fine, Pustule. And next snide remark Dagworth makes, why don't you turn his ears into cabbages just because it'd be funny?"

Nancy grinned. There was no logic behind ears changing to cabbages; and she was very confident when Tancred Dagworth asked her if the classes with that stuck up Slytherin cow had done more than get her to turn free time into wasted time.

Dagworth was extremely surprised to have his ears suddenly become vegetables; and as an added touch from a feeling of triumph, Nancy turned his nose into a carrot too.

And she was able to tell Madam McGonagall later with perfect truth that she had never drawn wand on Dagworth and then added with devastating honesty

"I was so excited I forgot to use it."

Minerva sighed. How like Lilith to get results by those with uncontrolled power by circumventing the focusing of a wand entirely when they had problems focusing. She set Nancy fifty repetitions of 'patience is a virtue' because she had to and congratulated her on her not-wand work.

oOoOo

The Pepperingye Marauders had meanwhile worked out their transfigurations of the walls in sundry places; and hid in the secret passage behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy to watch the results of the first one.

Their first victim was Silvester Crouch-Jones.

"Your hair is all over the place and your shirt is untucked" declared the face in the wall that suddenly appeared.

"Go and boil your head" retorted Silvester; went on several steps; stopped; turned round and stared. The face had retreated.

The marauders stuffed hands in their mouths not to laugh out loud.

Silvester was looking confused when Bella came past.

"Your hair is most unnatural" commented the wall, not unreasonably since Bella's hair today was in orange and black and white transverse stripes.

Bella stopped, stared; and then snarled at the face in a most tigery fashion. The face retreated hastily.

"So I should think" said Bella "Silly, what's up?"

"I wasn't dreaming then" said Silvester. "I thought for a moment I'd had a funny turn. I take it then that it wasn't your lot responsible for this?"

"My dear fellah!" said Bella in a Malfoy-cad voice "Too 'scrutiatingly juvenile for a member of the Lordly Sixth to play japes doncherknow!"

"Sorry Bella; that voice just doesn't go with the tiger stripes" laughed Silvester.

"Being a Malfoy cad goes with ANY appearance so long as you have the chutzpah to carry it off" said Bella loftily "Besides, Tigers have class. Loads of it. Tigers are socially superior to even Malfoys and Blacks so a Black Tiger is naturally superior to anyone."

"You ARE a nut" said Silvester amicably.

"Possibly; but I'm a happy nut" said Bella.

oOoOo

Most people addressed some remark to the face – usually uncomplimentary ones – as its creators watched in glee at the irritable and shocked reactions. Nobody likes criticism. The exceptions were Meriel Llewellyn in the fourth who positively preened at being told she was immaculate – which she was; the face was enchanted to tell truth about the appearance of its victims using the identical charm to the one used on grooming mirrors – and Emma MacMillan who squealed and dropped her books on being told that her hair was escaping from its plait.

Both results were fairly typical however; Meriel was generally quite pleased with herself and Emma squealed at everything.

oOoOo

The Pepperingye Marauders set up three faces in total, whom they named Tom, Dick and Harry; which led to a lot of discussion amongst those not familiar with the muggle mindset over why Tom Riddle should be given equal prominence with Harry Potter and who was Dick?

The Pepperingye Marauders had named them more after the tunnels in 'The Great Escape' than from the use of the muggle saying in any case.

Which being so, whenever THEY were targeted by any of their creations they responded with the phrase 'ya vas lyubyu' because they liked Charles Bronson.

David was relieved.

That accounted for ALL the Marauders likely to pull japes; and any japes pulled by anyone else were probably likely to be less exotic or intricate than anything planned by Marauders since the marauders tended to recruit anyone with a sufficiently imaginative outlook.

The rest of the term should go fairly well, bar the usual silliness over Valentine's day. And at least that fell mid week and would not therefore cause too protracted a silliness.

And the combined sixth invited the whole school to a beach party for Valentine's day, fancy costume optional, with a swim and barbeque that the sixth intended running, and the elves invited as guests.

The elves were torn between gratitude at being given so much consideration and gloomy certainly that the sixth would manage to spoil the food; but elves were generally of a pessimistic mind set even now freed from all compulsions.

The main cooks were to be the Belle Marauders who were actually rather competent at that sort of thing so David had no qualms. And he also knew that the entire sixth were coming as a pack of cards with sundry among them chosen as picture cards – the heads of the houses were to be the kings of the four suits with Gorbrin as King of Spades – and the other upper sixth prefects as the queens, jacks and aces. The Belle Marauders, as cooks, were all jokers and the costumes were not complex; just cardboard sandwich boards for the most part over swimming costumes or shorts and t-shirts and some fancy hats. And the Belle Marauders had baked jam tarts in advance in the shapes of the four suits, with blackcurrant jam for the spades and clubs and strawberry for the hearts and diamonds.

The barbeque food was a little more exotic than just burgers and sausages since Bella had too insisted on tandoori chicken; which went equally well in soft rolls from Sainsbury's with kebabbed onions, peppers and mushrooms; and sausages and burgers and ordinary kebabbed chicken for the unadventurous.

The major consumers of the tandoori tended to be those marauders who had tigers or wards of Assim Khan associated with them – which was all the marauders – and the Patil girls and their friends.

The Patil girls were very happy because they had managed to bump into Lilith in the Yule holidays with their mum's boyfriend to allow Lilith to legilimens him and find out that he had no sexual designs on them but wanted to be a good father to them; so they might take him to their hearts quite happily. Indeed, Sampta had told her mother and the boyfriend WHY they had been a little reserved and assured him that they would be model daughters now he had been proven quite all right. As a muggle she did not bother to enlighten him how this had been achieved; it might have upset him. And he was at least very keen to learn about their world and Sampta was busy taking photos of everything for him while Sita kept a diary.

Neither of the twins had a Valentine; but they felt quite benevolent to those who did since their mum's valentine was All Right.

And an all school party made for a lot less silliness than happened some years, especially with the oldest ones involved in its organisation! The elves too were agreeably surprised and commented that the young masters and mistresses had not actually made too bad a job of it. Which as Mimi said was elf-speak for 'it went off rather well'.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

There may have been a general fascination with New Zealand, but David liked to prowl his own domain, inside and out – snowstorms and sleet permitting – and fly over the big castle on Godrica the griffon. Godrica seemed pleased to be back; she had gone faithfully with David to Austria but she firmly took him to old haunts here to prove that it was still her territory; and he could feel her pleasure in their flights together.

And David understood; because Hogwarts was where Godrica had first been free; and, apart from his earliest days with his parents, so it was for him too.

And visiting Hagrid and Alice and their children was another comforting and homely thing to do, with or without Ellie and their daughters.

David was just leaving Hagrid's cottage when he saw a troll burst out of the forest, carrying some bundle. David quickly ascertained that the verb 'burst' merely covered what seemed to be the troll's common means of locomotion and was no threat. He called,

"Trurk?" as he had heard of the troll Lydia and the other Mad Marauders had befriended.

The troll veered towards him and sniffed hard; as he came closer it became apparent that the bundle was a small child, in proportions a toddler but the size of a five year old; and plainly half troll as the babe's face swivelled towards the voice.

"You is of one blood with Liddi and Trurk's friends" said the troll.

"Your sense of smell is acute, Trurk – er, it's very good" said David. "I promised Lydia I would keep an eye out for you."

"Aw" said Trurk and managed a blush. "Liddi kind to Trurk. Made Trurk happy. So Trurk got lady friend."

"Congratulations" murmured David, not sure what else to say.

"Yeah" said Trurk. "Trurk's lady friend real smart human lady; Lexie. Lexie and Trurk had baby. Hay-mish she called him" he indicated the small child "Funny name."

"Oh it's a perfectly good name in Scotland" said David.

"Right" said Trurk "Lexi and Trurk wanted another baby. But she got ill and died. Trurk don't know how to care for Hay-mish."

"Oh Trurk!" David's eyes filled with tears "Why didn't you ask? We might have been able to help her!"

"Lexi not HURT" said Trurk "Her ILL. When ill, people, beasts, they just die. Or sometimes get better by'n'by."

"If Trurk gets ill" said David "Sometimes we can make illness better. Trurk must come and find someone of our blood."

"Yeah? Orright" said Trurk "Can Trurk's friends care for Hay-mish? He be real smart like Lexi, learn to read, go to school!" he beamed.

"We'll certainly do our best" David held out his arms for the child "Hamish will be best living with Hagrid, who's half giant; he'll know how to care for a bonny big boy! And I'll come and see him and we'll see if he can't go to school here too."

Trurk beamed.

"Trurk got very good friends" he said, handing over Hamish.

The child seemed equable enough; which was a relief. And Hagrid could handle him without hurting him if he DID get frustrated over nearly understanding difficult skills like reading.

Trurk smiled shyly – if one could imagine a troll smiling shyly – and shambled back into the forest. Poor Trurk! Thought David; as if he didn't have enough problems being bright for a troll, to find love and then lose it so cruelly, and then in a way that might have been averted! He left the child with Hagrid, with a brief explanation and went over to see Archie Trumball in Cambernath village.

oOoOo

"Aye, weel, it's Lexie MacPherson I'm thinking ye've in mind" said Archie. "Puir soul, born affleected; and her wi' a sair terror o' dochters fer fear o' bein' shut awa; for didna' her ain parents try to get her put in an asylum? It wis her grreat aunt fought tae keep the wee girrl so it wis; and the auld lady died no' sae lang syne. Matter o' three year I'm thinking; and Lexie nae more idea o' how tae care fer hersel' than a butterfly; but she a'ways had fresh meat, so ye ken, I'm thinking it's a poacher has a mind to care for her in exchange fer a place tae lie up; and welcome for the caring for the puir body. A troll ye say? Weel now, Lexie wis a fine big girrl; so forbye it wisnae so hard for her tae cope. And if he loved her….losh, it's a sair indictment on the cruelty o' folks it is that a troll's preferable tae her ain folk. The coroner said it was pre-eclampsia she died of; and a shame it is she didnae have it treated by you folk. But then; they never reckoned she'd ever live past thirty anyhow" he sighed "And at least she had a man o' her ain and a touch o' happiness wi' her babe. And ye've the little lad wi' ye? I'm main glad; I wis wondering if he'd been taken by her mysterious lover or if the puir babe had wandered off, I was aboot tae start a search and ask ye tae use yon ither means at yer disposal."

"You're a good man to care" said David. "Yes; he's a part of our world and we shall care for him, especially as his father asked it of us. A sad business" he sighed. "Well I must get back."

oOoOo

David wanted to get back to sob on Ellie's breast and get out all his feelings that it was so unfair that the lonely lovers had so little time together.

Ellie stroked his hair.

"David, Hamish is Scots for James; why don't you ask James and Lily to look out for Lexie? They can assure her that her son is safe and being cared for and that we're looking out for Trurk too. They had to leave their son in death; they'll gladly care for the dead mother of another small boy."

David blew his nose.

"Oh Ellie, that's such a good idea!" he said.

"And Trurk will join her beyond the veil" said Ellie firmly "In time; and we spend more time dead than we do living. Life is just a rehearsal for being dead, really."

David managed half a chuckle.

"I'm not sure if that's a comfort or not" he said dryly. "Well I'll pass things on to James; I expect he'll laugh and make some facetious comment about Hamish being likely to be the first part troll in Hogwarts."

"Wasn't that Gregory Goyle?" said Ellie facetiously.

"Only mentally" said David.

oOoOo

Hamish settled in happily with Hagrid and Alice; he was much of an age with their daughter Beth, and was thoroughly kept in his place by their five-an-a-half year old twins Dair and Luis. And Beth, who already bid fair to be as gently managing as her little mother, would doubtless look out for him when he got to Hogwarts.

If he had enough magic in him.

Half the folk in Cambernath were at least sensitives from generations of randy young wizards sneaking out to lay muggle girls; and judging by the two strains in the village the ones that weren't Malfoys were Weasleys.

David could not resist testing Hamish's Malfoy lines; and found that he was likely to be borderline.

Well Gregory Goyle had never been more than borderline either. And if Hagrid got fond of the little fellow – not that little was going to be an appropriate adjective – he might join him by blood to Lionel's group, to which both Hagrid and Alice belonged; which would boost him somewhat. That remained to be seen.

And the poor kid should have every opportunity to do as well as possible; that David swore a silent oath to himself.

oOoOo

David took a flying visit to London to see Kordach; there was a question that puzzled him. He smiled to himself as a liveried elf with distinct touches of the fey about him – the green hair was a bit of a giveaway – and a very supercilious manner let him in and informed him loftily that he would see if the master was at home to visitors.

Kordach wrung David's hand enthusiastically.

"Professor Fraser!" he said, scowling faintly at the elf to be sure he impressed on his new servant the status of his visitor "Always an honour! What can I do for you? Come into the study while Glasgian gets us drinks."

"Thank you" said David. They made small talk until the elf had withdrawn.

"Now; what CAN I do for you?" asked Kordach "No trouble about any of my children I hope?"

"Oh no, none at all" said David "I hope I didn't worry you; all four of them are doing as well as usual."

"Good" said Kordach "I might be a little disappointed none of them are Marauders but with Jabala and Kreszi in the Society Against Slavery that's the next best thing."

"The organisations do work together" said David "They're all rousting their class fellows to better efforts in hobby times to make things for marginalised youngsters, suffering the slavery of poverty. Which sort of brings me to my question; the school is fostering the half troll son of a troll resident of the forest whose, er, lady friend died. And it occurred to me; we speak blithely of half troll bouncers and body guards but I'm damned if I can get my head round there being as much likelihood of relationships between trolls and humans as between goblins and humans; and as far as I am aware even human-goblin pairings are not THAT common."

"Ah" said Kordach. "Well apart from the fact that there is actually now a breeding population of half trolls – with the usual range of offspring from looking more troll to looking more human – there is a reason for the high number. I don't THINK it's illegal; and I'm not sure it's even immoral. Only as fellow council members actually it IS our responsibility to address it."

"Let's hear about it without any hats on first and then decide if we need to put on our Council Member hats after" said David.

"One of the things I like about you, David – if I may still call you that – is your practicality" said Kordach.

"I hope you WILL still call me David, Kordach" said David. "We are friends after all; and I get called 'Professor Fraser' now by so many people I'm in danger of forgetting my own name! What's the situation?"

"It started about a hundred years ago" said Kordach "With a madam and three of her girls – she spoke of them as her daughters but whether they were or not, who can say? Sometimes the relationships with a good madam can be closer than the girls had with their real mother." He paused as David nodded understanding, then went on. "The daughters were getting a bit old to take top Galleon; so their mother mentioned that there was a niche in the market – for bodyguards. They had a half troll bouncer because the madam herself had become a prostitute after being raped by a troll and was disowned by her family; the usual tragic story. So as her son was so useful she suggested the girls might, if they could find a relatively gentle troll, breed bodyguards and rear them for their keep while the younger girls in the brothel brought in money in the meantime. And it took off" he explained. "There are discreet adverts; it's all in the same 'as it were' family, and ageing prostitutes are offered the TOP potions and spells to get through such a pregnancy and birth, and either a lump sum payment for the baby or a small salary to stay as a childnurse. Most take the lump sum and spend it all on Felix or Euphoria and are dead in a few years I'm afraid; but that IS rather their choice. And the few that remain may not live fast but they live well. The children – and most of them are male because only one in six trolls is female and it seems to breed true – are effectively slaves; or rather indentured servants."

"I suppose that as trolls are classified as beasts that's a hard legal call to make" said David. "I'm of the opinion that in any birth, any being is all being; but if they are not too badly exploited I suppose it's all right. And I never knew about the gender statistics even though I DO have a NEWT in Care of Beasts."

"Well Trolls are one of those borderline creatures like Vampires I suppose" said Kordach "You need to know how to avoid getting creamed by one, but as they take care of themselves I guess it isn't taught. I only know from observation and talking to the current stud, who's a runt. He's a forest troll and he's only seven foot six; and having a cushy lifestyle appeals to him enough to wash regularly and behave in a fairly civilised way. He's the half brother of the half troll in the watchwizards that I donated; it's a bright family line. Maybe related to your troll?"

"Possibly" said David "Trurk is a forest troll; and he can string sentences together."

"It IS a survival characteristic in England" said Kordach "Where there isn't room for a large range to hunt for dumb-ass critters that can't do more than grunt. Besides, with the centaurs about I imagine they whittle down the stupider ones; bearing in mind that trolls find centaur delicious."

"Yes, it's Trurk's favourite food when he can't get dark wizard" said David. "But centaurs CHOSE to be beasts; and if one beast eats another in the forest it's hardly my business. They whinney – er, whine – about it of course; but as the kids say, they only want to be the centaur of attention."

Kordach laughed.

"Isn't that just so true!" he said. "Well the trollfarm treats their kids well; teaches those who can manage it to read; and hires them out. And if any of them want a long term job, well their new employer has to pay severance pay. Effectively they buy them; but they'd better carry on paying a salary or the mamas of the farm will know the reason why. They pay their boys a pocket-money level salary from the amount they hire them out for; and teach them to manage it. They're a canny bunch of girls and the current head of the farm is a quarter troll herself. They look out for the interests of their people."

"And yet we ought to be protecting the interests of half trolls" said David "I think we should introduce legislation that if any person has some blood of a being they are counted as a being; and that covers my adoptive son too, actually, who was sired by an animagus on a bitch. As in the animal. And he's not the only kid I know in the same situation. Perhaps there should be additional legislation that legal guardians may be appointed to treat individuals as children if there is an intellect issue – which again might pertain for a manimagus – for those of half blood or less of a being. And to be worded as being, not human; I may find the idea of a half troll half goblin rather unlikely but with a breeding population you could get any sort of mix I suppose."

"Troll babies are quite small at birth, usually because they come in pairs" said Kordach "And occasionally as quads. In the wild a troll mother eats the smaller and most sickly looking one more times than not unless it's female. They grow rapidly but they effectively get born as seven month babies. Multiple births give a better chance that one may survive I suppose. I looked into it quite deeply before I paid severance pay on Percy. Stupid name for a half troll, but the girls name their babies by names they like; and the ones that DO stay are fond of their ugly little charges. I fancy Desdemona – the manager – only suggests taking a job with her to the ones she reckons are decent; the ones who play with the older ones while they're waiting to give birth. She was asking me actually if it was true that Hogwarts teaches a secret fighting technique and if I could get her a trainer so her boys could subdue people without hurting them as much as an added selling point."

"It's not secret; it's a muggle sport" said David "Why don't you ask Abraxus Malfoy? He taught the rest of us as it happens. I imagine he'd be happy to help raise the image of a marginal group – and to take any who are capable into his school so they have magic as a further recourse too. Having beaten up would be attackers, to then cast the binding spell might be handy. And then they'd also have a possible career as watch wizards – proper watchwizards, rather than just militia auxiliaries like those you found us. The girls will lose out some if there are those judged capable of running their own affairs; but maybe the time has come for them to EMPLOY their offspring officially and set up as a private security firm in name as well as fact, with uniforms and advertising in the Times."

Kordach nodded.

"I'll talk to Desdemona; she feels deeply that there are limitations on her family. And she does think of them as family" he added. "She's the cousin of Percy too, and of Skrart. His father was the previous stud, and he had a trolless mate too; and he rescued Skrart from being the one of the pair that was eaten and brought him to London. Could be your Trurk is actually Skrart's twin. As far as I know, he returned periodically to his trolless and presumably she tired of him and killed him; it can happen. By which time Skrart was thirteen and ready to start breeding."

"A fascinating insight into a people I know very little about" said David. "I must see what we have in the library by Gondoline Oliphant; I don't think she published any of her studies on trolls but there must be copies somewhere."

"Try the being office in the ministry filed under 'W' for 'who the fuck cares'" suggested Kordach "And don't believe a word written by Gilderoy Lockhart."

"I don't; he's a prick" said David. "Cheers; I'll set my spies onto digging out what they can. Talk to Desdemona for me, if you don't mind and ask her if she'd be prepared to present a report for the council. If we can swing this I don't say there wouldn't be a place on the council for her as a representative of a small but significant minority."

"She'd be pleased to have a representative; though I might have to talk fast to get her to accept it herself" said Kordach.

"Then she's probably the best person; those who take power reluctantly wield it with the most responsibility" said David.

Well that had answered some questions and raised a whole lot more over what the legal situation should be; because it also might affect part fey, or part giants, because although giants were technically beings there was still a lot of mistrust. Uniformed, clean and basically educated half trolls would help to raise their image at least; and might too over time raise their intellect for a good upbringing and increasing brain size for having mothers well fed during pregnancy.

Lucius had steamrollered him onto the council; and David was going to make use of that. And maybe even argue in the future that individual trolls might be accorded a certificate of 'being' status if there really WAS an intelligent strain.

And if Trurk had a certificate of 'being' status, it was a lever against the centaurs; because if they killed him, there was no legal recourse to a BEAST of self defence; only the need to put down a dangerous wild beast. So this might lead to Centaurs accepting the need to be beings in Britain at least, and therefore a bit more controllable. The situation of the Merfolk was different; but David could see a time when they might accept the chance to be beings but independent of the rest of the wizarding world for inhabiting an entirely different medium; the situation being the same, effectively, as it already was, but with more protection for merfolk and perhaps more exchange of ideas. For that matter there was no reason the centaurs should not, on the whole, continue to run their own affairs; but if they sent a representative to Council it might help to prevent misunderstandings and to add yet another point of view. Not that they even sent a representative to the Centaur section of the Beast Office. They would be outraged of course – David could just picture Ronan snorting and pawing the ground over Trurk being given more rights than them – but in the end it would clear up an ambiguity if they would just accept the inevitable and stop being so stubborn all because they had taken a pet at the 1811 council over being expected to share being status with hags and vampires. As they had initially refused to attend a meeting because of the exclusion of merfolk who could only converse in Mermish on dry land it did rather look as though they were a people who delighted in being contrary for the sake of it. Threats of being TREATED as beasts might be the only way to bring them round. Though somehow David could not really see himself suggesting putting centaur on the menu at Hogwarts; one should never make a hollow threat and he would never actually carry it out.

David wondered if he could get away with threatening to muzzle, saddle and straitjacket centaurs as riding beasts.

That might work.

oOoOo

He retuned to the castle to find another minor equine incident had occurred; an illegal duel had occurred in a running fashion and had passed through the Great Hall where somebody's curious My Little Flying Pony had, together with one of the fish, become intimately involved through the backwash of a spell and was now My Little Flying Hippocampus.

Bella was sorting out transfiguring the wings into fins because right was right; and told David cheerfully that at least the wretched beast was no longer farting now it had the back end of a cotton fish.

It was all part of life's rich pattern.

Bella had issued a prefect's impot to the duellists – Randall Corner and Kevin Slugworthy, each of whom should have been old enough to know better than to set such an example for the lower school since both were now in the fifth; apparently Corner had sneered at Kevin's streelugs as pets; and Kevin had retorted that at least his pets were useful, decorative and pleasant to be around which made them in all ways unlike Ravenclaws. Randall had drawn wand and Kevin had not been slow to follow; and being a luminary of the MSHG would have been winning had not Wendy Waffling and Mesmadora Turpin decided that he needed a handicap for being way above their house fellow Corner and cast odd jinxes at Kevin to make it fairer on a dweeb like Randall, as Wendy put it, since not all Ravenclaws were like him and Kevin had been unfair.

Kevin took the interference of his friends to even up the chances of the Dweeb with philosophy and still managed to chase Corner all the way from the senior cloakroom to the top of Ravenclaw tower leaving minor mayhem in their wake. Bella had told them both they should be ashamed of themselves – having had to go through the riddling door of Ravenclaw tower to do so – and was backed by Ravenclaw's prefects who were quite ashamed that a Hufflepuff should have managed to access the door to chase Corner. Kevin declared that the question 'what trait is unbounded' was a stupidly easy one and had answered 'any damn trait you have the courage to believe in' which as the standard answer was 'imagination' rather silenced a lot of people. Bella, asked 'why does time slow down or speed up', promptly answered 'when speeds close to the speed of light cause relativistic effects' rather than the standard 'it is the perception of the passage of time that changes according to the degree of enjoyment one has.' The door could not fault her knowledge though it did debate it briefly with her. Bella had set both culprits – after blowing off the door of the cupboard in which Corner was hiding – ten repetitions of 'The Human Attitude' by Geoffrey Dearmer, which was a stiff impot; but as she said it was a bit much for big boys of sixteen or near to it to be running amok through the school leaving destruction and disaster in their wake for her to clear up.

Kevin apologised; and Wendy pointed out that it had been Randall Corner who went for his wand first over a relatively small matter and that she and Mesmadora had added some to the mayhem in the need to make it fairer as Kevin could lick Randall any day blindfold, with his head in a sling and balancing on one leg.

Bella set them two reps each of the same poem and left feeling that Corner had suffered quite enough in terms of ridicule without being given more impots for starting it.

This she told David cheerfully and off the record over a cup of tea because she thought it would amuse him; which it did.

"And it behoved us marauders to sort it as Gorbrin is incarcerated in the dungeon with Connie doing things to Felix" said Bella cheerfully. "I'm sticking to Veritaserum thank you; none of this long term shuffling about thank you, and if I don't get an 'O' well I never have yet so I'm not about to start just by doing a fancy potion for my finals"

"It's wise to stick to doing well what you know you can do" said David. "You've worked very hard to be an 'E' average student in potions, Bella; I should think you should be proud of yourself. And even the Auror's office only asks for five 'E' grades you know."

Bella grinned.

"I know; I just sort of compare myself to some of the other marauders and know I'm not in their league" she said "But it doesn't matter; being a marauder is about more than being academic. I'm academic enough to run a good school with Assim in India; and really that's what counts."

"Who else is coming with you?" asked David.

"Lalita will be teaching" said Bella "She's been looking over properties for Assim. She'll be teaching Arithmancy which is just as well because I'm only adequate at it. I'm to teach transfigurations and chanting; Assim will teach charms and Comparative magic and Lally will also take on potions. If we can get some extra teachers we won't need to double up; but none of my lot want to brave India. Besides, they're all marrying old marauders who want to teach in Europe. We'll probably have U-may and then Purnima and a selection of nieces and nephews one day but meantime we'll just have to improvise. I guess we need to do what Jade is, concentrate on getting people to a DOE level and poking any really talented ones at Hogwarts. Actually, I could do worse than ask the Patil twins; I know they've never been to India but it would be an opportunity to get in touch with their roots and maybe give them something to think about how lucky they are. Even if it's only for a few years as a stopgap until we train up some more or get the next batch of marauders."

David nodded.

"They both seem hard working and serious girls" he said.

Bella gave a gurgle of mirth.

"After Sampta's early career she SO is lucky to get THAT assessment! It was she, you know, who poisoned Lilith with the confusing and befuddlement draught; but she has grown up no end. And she backed me over ticking off Randall as well as Kevin and got quite uncomplimentary towards him for starting fights he then ran away from. Poisoning Lilith aside she's pretty good at potions; and she's also studying runes as a hobby. Actually she's more than pretty good at potions; and it took that shock of having been on for killing a kid Lilith's size to make her be careful enough to match conscientious practise with brilliance. She's on for an 'O' no sweat. Sita's thing is charms so that would be handy too. Yes, I'll chat with them."

David nodded. It had not been his suggestion; but he was there too to help his students make decisions; to be talked to.

oOoOo

Sampta looked particularly wary when invited to Bella's and friends' study; and the twins discovered the 'and friends' wandering off grumbling gently at being routed out of their haven for half an hour.

"I don't think I've done anything worthy of a marauder's censure" said Sampta. "Apart from calling Xanthia Fawcett a lame-brained cow-faced galoot with delusions of imbecility."

"DID you? I say, that's not half bad!" said Bella. "She is rather a galoot. I didn't know you read Arthur Ransome."

"Our prospective dad gave Simi 'Swallows and Amazons' for Christmas and I borrowed it when I was out of reading matter" admitted Sampta "I enjoyed it, though imagine giving a little girl a nickname like Titty!"

"Don't forget it didn't mean quite the same then" said Bella "It may have been used but only as service slang – not in general use. Kids were more innocent in those days. I expect it was short for Latitia. Nancy always appealed most to me; the wild one."

"Yes, I can see that" grinned Sampta "Susan's such a boring creature, isn't she?"

"Rather…. I say, I didn't ask you here to talk literature though it is fun; I'll let you borrow some of the others. I don't have all of them but I have half a dozen or so" said Bella.

"There's more? Wicked!" said Sampta.

"Rather! I like 'Winter Holiday' best, with Nancy's use of sempaphore…. But I shan't say any more or I'll spoil it" said Bella "I actually had a proposition to put to you two."

"That sounds an ominous thing coming from a marauder" said Sita, not normally backward about coming forward but pleased her sister was more a sister these days and less an object of derision from younger marauders.

"It's a big thing" said Bella soberly "Which is why I'm giving you a year and more to think about it. You kinda know about me and Assim, don't you?"

"Who's Assim?" asked Sita.

Bella blinked.

"And there was me thinking we hadn't been in the least bit discreet! Assim Khan; the best tiger in the world."

"Professor Khan you mean? He's an animagus?" asked Sampta.

"No, you tame galoot!" said Bella "He's a Rakshasa; I thought everyone knew that one! I'm a tiger animagus; because I've adored him since I was about twelve. Only he stopped running a couple of years ago and agreed to a long betrothal. And we're going to start a school for wizards and witches in India; and I know you two have spoken wistfully of never having been there so I thought I'd offer you first refusal as potions and charms professors."

Two identical jaws dropped.

"That's – well I don't know what to say!" said Sita.

"I say let's jump at the chance" said Sampta "Even if it's only for a few years until you get native Indian teachers. It's a great experience, and not to be passed up; travel, a steady respectable job, the chance to assess what we really DO want from life. I was half toying with a year at Prince Peak – the chance to study under Severus Snape isn't to be passed up even if I was horridly rude to Lilith about him when I was so jealous of her. Who else is teaching there?"

"Assim's sister Lalita; she was in Lydia's class" said Bella. "And Assim and me. We don't have anyone else; the Belle Marauders are sort of dispersing into marriage with previous groups of marauders and following their ideals. I might talk Mimi and Darryl into it but Darryl's pretty close to some of Severus' other wards so it's looking unlikely. Even if we can only teach basics it's more than most have to date; and the brightest ones could be pushed to be able to go to Hogwarts. Assim and I are both rich; we can subsidise it totally. He's actually a Prince in his own lands; and apparently I'm the richest witch in England so it seems appropriate to do what we can. Sampta, I'm delighted to have you agree; if you DO get cold feet and change your mind I will understand. Sita, you need more time to think about it?"

"I – no, in principle I agree too" said Sita "As Sammy says, it's an amazing opportunity. We'll need to learn the language!"

"I can give you basics of Hindi with magical transfer" said Bella "Then it's a question of conversation; get U-may, Purnima, Jayashree and Hasibul to chat to you. And Mohini too; I shouldn't forget Mohini. I AM glad I intervened to stop Assim's mother arranging a marriage for him with her before she came to school."

"They still do arranged child marriages?" Sita was taken aback.

"Alas yes; muggles and wizards alike" said Bella. "Still it meant that there weren't any difficulties made about me being what an English mother of a son would consider rather young when I told her that I was arranging my own marriage and I'd picked Assim. They also expect you to wear your dowry and I had to point out that hanging land and apartment blocks and factories around my neck was a little difficult. It IS a strange and alien culture; you'll have as much culture shock as I did because you're English. But it's your roots too."

"It is" said Sampta "And I think we'd always regret NOT exploring them."

"Read more Kipling" said Bella "It should give you a flavour; I'll lend you some. It's a bit dated for the muggle world but less so for the wizarding world. And not as dated as perhaps writing of the same period would be in England; there's a timelessness to India."

"Thanks" said Sampta. "Wow! And to think I was wondering what we WOULD do on leaving school!"

"And nothing to stop you taking a year with Severus after teaching for a few years anyway" said Bella. "Will you teach Quidditch too? We'll all muck in for cricket."

"I will" said Sampta. "I'd like to take the new OWL in it too."

"Tell the head; he'll arrange it" said Bella. "Well I am chuffed; now we have a really viable school. I'm still going to be teaching both chanting and Transfigurations, but the chanting can start off as a voluntary class. And maybe we'll find some graduates of a few small private schools to join us too. There's a few – they have about thirty pupils tops and very rich kids. But some of the very rich kids, if they're girls, might like to escape the inevitable marriage by teaching instead. Oh yes – DO expect sexism; and be prepared to whop any boy who won't take orders from a woman; just so they know to take orders from someone soooo much harder than them. I can hear a riot outside because I promised my lot I'd only be half an hour; so if you'd not mind buggering off, thanks for listening and I look forward to teaching with you!"

As Sita said later, only Bella could manage to be rudely dismissive with such exquisite courtesy!


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Gorbrin was looking forward to better weather; and not just for quidditch. He had organised a charity Quidpolo match between those in the school who rode and a team of volunteers, mostly drawn from the ranks of the Withers family and their relatives. New rules had been agreed upon; and Gorbrin had streamlined the game for a better spectator sport. Old Sir Stoddard Withers had tried too much to combine totally quidditch and polo; and had succeeded only in making a clumsy game that risked the horses. Gorbrin's view of the game was more as a form of flying polo, where every player held a mallet to knock a ball a little smaller than a quaffle, the idea being to both keep it in the air and to knock it through one of three rings, which was one of the features taken from quidditch. The team last in possession lost ten points if the quaffle touched the ground save after a goal being scored. There was to be a snitch; and to take into account the reduced manoeuvrability of the rider of a flying steed as compared to someone on a racing broom, lacrosse nets were to be used to catch it; with the added excitement of net duels for possession being possible before the snitch was drawn in to make contact with skin and gain its blood memory.

Bludgers were not to be used so as not to worry the horses; a blow from the polo quaffle would not really hurt any beast. Naturally hitting each other with mallets was forbidden. There were seven on the team and the six who were not seekers would spend all their time keeping the quaffle in the air. And as touching it with any part of the body was to be a foul, this would be challenging.

oOoOo

More challenging was staying on top of the war Randall Corner seemed determined to start with Kevin Slugworthy for being made to look a fool. And Wendy Waffling's comment that nobody noticed because they all knew he was a fool had not helped. Corner had talked Ferdinand Belby onto his side, by making it a House matter; and Ingram Scrimgeour who took exception to a Huffer being able to get into Ravenclaw tower. By talking to Xanthia Fawcett he managed to make it a quidditch team thing, dragging in the impressionable Emerald Cherrytree – despite Sampta's telling her friend that this was a storm in a cauldron about the ego of one silly little boy – and the Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff match looked like becoming a grudge match. This was excepting Sampta Patil, Reginald Pike and Jack Murray who stood aside from such foolishness; which as Kevin was only on the second team of Hufflepuff was a bit much. Randall Corner started stirring up the lower school too, though at least Simi Patil listened to her sister on the matter; Zelinn and Alrak laughed to scorn the idea of spoiling the game for the politics of big ones; and Sextus told him not to be such a jerk.

Randall Corner tried to respond to such bluntness with a series of jinxes, only to be ignored by Sextus, whose shield charm was as impervious as that of any Marauder.

"Come off it, Corner" sneered Sextus "You can't even handle a Huffer; you REALLY want to go against a Marauder? This is ludicrous and an affront to the beautiful game; and when our headmaster is an international referee that's downright disgraceful. Calling on kids to cob Huffers is not on; and I'm going to make a formal report to Sampta that you be dropped from the first team for that; Simi, are you and the half twins with me? You all heard him."

"Alrak and I are certainly with you" said Zelinn "He's trying to bring our House into disrepute."

Sampta received the report seriously; and promptly informed the Quidditch team that Corner was dropped for inciting unsportsmanlike conduct and the rest of the team were jolly well going to make a vow bound to a curse not to be involved or they were off too. Ferdinand Belby protested that it was a matter of House pride.

"No it damn well is NOT!" said Sampta "It's a matter of a stuck up little boy in the fifth who was ready to start a fight that he couldn't finish and being sore that he got shown up for the bully and coward that he is."

"If we all stick together on this, you HAVE to back down, Patil" said Xanthia Fawcett "Or you'll decimate the team."

"Then I'll decimate the team" said Sampta "I would rather lose with honesty, even if it is my chance as head of House games to take the Shield, than win with a team that has no sportsmanship. We'll just break with hitherto held custom and play those from below the third year in your stead; you're off the team, Xanthia and so is Ferdinand. And Em, so are you if you won't back down."

"I thought it was what you'd want, to back the House!" said Emerald. "I will back down if you want me to."

"Well it isn't backing the house and it's actually being disloyal to our House to behave so" said Sampta, thanking her stars that she had learned a few home truths from Lilith so she could see clearly now what she had to do. "Avice, you're in the first team and Simi and Alrak. There are three half decent first years; not top galleon but they'll fit well enough into the second team. Reggie, well done for staying out of the crap."

Reginald Pike inclined his head politely; he had been promoted to the first team at the beginning of the year and had felt that Randall Corner was behaving foolishly, though he had not been as outspoken on the subject as some!

oOoOo

Xanthia Fawcett took Randall Corner and Ferdinand Belby to the Head's office to complain that their supposed Head of Games was cutting off her own nose to spite her face by dropping the three best players on her team and playing SECOND years instead.

"Did she give a reason for dropping you?" asked David.

"Not a plausible one" said Xanthia "Just because we wanted a decisive win over Hufflepuff because one of their people made a fool of one of theirs."

"Ah, the case of a man ready to start a fight with an amiable fellow he assumes is weaker than him, and who runs away when it proves the amiable fellow is actually fairly capable" murmured David. "I found the Belle Marauders putting right the mayhem you both left in your wake, you and Kevin, Randall. They seemed on top of the situation so I didn't intervene. Was this about trying to stir up a grudge match by any chance?"

"Sampta is unreasonable!" snapped Xanthia "**I **should have been head of games; I'm a better player than she is!"

"That's actually debatable" said David "She's certainly a better team player. She and Jack Murray are the best players in the sixth in Ravenclaw; and she is the better organiser, which is why, I presume, she was made head of Quidditch. It's not MY decision to make though I am consulted; Chad Fenwick chose her when he left and I see no reason to alter his choice. It is the tradition of the school that the outgoing head of games recommends his or her successor; Professor Dumbledore handed the headship of games to Chad not Mad Lockhart because he wanted Mad as head of House that year. I believe Chad discussed the matter with Jack Murray when HE was due to leave and appealed to his better self to cede the right to the better organiser. Now! If this is about a campaign against Kevin – who IS when all is said and done a prefect where you are NOT, Randall, I suggest that you either accept the rebuke with becoming humility or eat humble pie to Sampta and promise faithfully to obey any strictures she sees fit to enforce. The discipline of a quidditch team is down to the team captain; NOT the headmaster. And Xanthia, I will have from you fifty repetitions of 'courtesy costs nothing' for the rude way in which you spoke to me. You are all dismissed."

oOoOo

David discussed it with Gorbrin.

"Frankly sir, I've been having nightmares about the situation" said Gorbrin "If I thought it would do any good I'd have Corner in my office to tell him not to be such a prat; but he's such a prat that it won't do any good. If Sampta has it in hand by banning him from the team I'm well pleased; she's turned out all right has Sampta and she has the moral fibre to do what's right even if it costs her House the shield. I'm not actually sure it will; I hear she's playing kids from the junior school and Alrak gan Nork for one is a way better player than Corner. Zelinn's not as good as Zakala – which is Gryffindor's gain because Alrak's twin IS as good as he is – but they have some decent juniors. I doubt their second team will suffer much for losing a player or two."

"Three" said David "Xanthia and Ferdinand as well as Randall."

Gorbrin winced.

"I'll have a chant to Meliandra to see Sampta and see about putting back the fixtures while her new team configuration gels" he said "Only fair."

oOoOo

Sampta was delighted and informed her team that THAT was what sportsmanship was. Gryffindor, Slytherin and Hufflepuff would resolve their as yet unresolved matches first to give the Ravenclaws a chance to, as Meliandra put it to the other teams, get a team worthy of the name to show up the childish brats who had needed to be excluded.

The first game of the season, to be played before the Quidpolo match, was therefore Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. And Gryffindor cheerfully played its most brilliant players regardless of their age; slotting in Candace Dumbledore as beater to make up for the loss of Lydia Snape. As her counterpart was Charis Rawlins, another marauder, they worked well together, and Hufflepuff, who had one or two very good players – the two on the all-school team and Abelard Pomfrey – but no real team went down to a fairly ignominious defeat, their beaters and keeper thoroughly outflown by the half-twins and Oliver Harris to the extent that even had Dunbar Finch pipped Sekunder to the Snitch, which he did not, Hufflepuff's first team would still have lost by twenty points rather than the three hundred and twenty they did lose by.

The second team did a little better – their players were mostly older also-rans and were bigger than the mostly diminutive Gryffindor juniors so they only lost by ten points after Kevin caught the snitch for pride's sake and because he had a longer reach than Seth. Seth did not resent in the least that his younger sister had been promoted to the first team when he had not; he was so proud of her that she was able to play well enough to get the honour! And he was chuffed to play for the second team, on which he envisioned staying all his school life, rather like Kevin, who was happy to serve his house as a second string player playing a game he enjoyed.

Seth was actually toying with becoming a referee like Professor Fraser. He loved the magical world that he had a second chance in; and its magical games.

oOoOo

The All-England Quidpolo Amateur Team read like a genealogy of the Withers and Malfoy families.

Lucius was team captain; which was no big surprise. Apollo, Stoddard and Abastor Withers-Weasley were three brothers who were the last of their line until Apollo had married Daphne Hubble and produced two children; small Hippolyta – five – and little Stoddard – two – had very little idea what was happening but came to cheer anyway because daddy was there; they were promptly borrowed by various sixth form girls not playing to be made a fuss of. Lucius had talked Lionel Dell into playing; he had brought his wives and their current offspring – one baby apiece and two pregnancies – and Draco and Narcissa completed the team. Draco was to fly seeker, and saluted his step brother who was in the same position.

Gorbrin had included Meliandra on the team because she played the game with his family in the holidays; had discovered that Erasmus Bobbin rode and was keen to give it a try as well as Hadrian Malfoy, the Corbin twins and Drusillina Hallow. He played the oldest ones against visiting adults, though there were some keen horse riders in the lower school; and Gorbrin was considering petitioning David to extend the stables and have knockabout games of quidpolo and informal gymkhanas in the summer too. It would give those children who did not grow up with flying horses the opportunity to see if they were any good at riding; which was another social advantage like the ball.

oOoOo

Dennis Creevey was there as Wizarding Wireless Vision's top sport reporter; he grabbed an interview with Gorbrin.

"Mr Malfoy, I understand it has been largely down to your efforts that this game has been revived; can you give me a few insights onto what prompted you to do so?"

"When dad – Lucius – took on my family as stepchildren, it was the first time I had ever seen flying horses up close" said Gorbrin "And I have to say I fell in love with them. They are beautiful creatures; I love riding them. I love entering gymkhanas because it's about the partnership between you and this wonderful beast. And I love quidditch. When I found out that Sir Stoddard Withers, who had first mooted the game, was actually an ancestor of the main branch of the Malfoy family – the reason my stepgrandfather was named Abraxus, incidentally, it being a Withers family name – I looked up more about him. And I believe that the reason the game never took off in HIS day was twofold. One, he tried to make it overly complex, to totally combine quidditch with polo. Two, he did not have the opportunities we do today of playing magical sports in very remote locations with Wizarding Wireless Vision to carry it to the wizarding community. With help from many people I've streamlined the game a lot, losing the different positions for the most part, so effectively every team member has responsibility for both scoring and defending. I expect that those who excel at one more than another will stick to what they are good at; but I should like to see it more informal, at least until the game becomes established. Then will be the time to consider more formal positions. The seeker too had a disadvantage in Sir Stoddard's day; catching a snitch is a challenging business on a racing broom with a broom's length turning circle and no wings in the way. That was why I borrowed from the muggle game of lacrosse the net on a pole; in the game of lacrosse, the player who has the ball in their net can be challenged and the ball knocked away by an expert tackler. I thought this might add to the dimension of the game, that having caught the snitch one then has to keep it long enough to touch it. And risk whacked knuckles too when drawing it back."

"It sounds as though you've thought it through well" said Dennis "I look forward to seeing a match under the new rules; we all saw the demonstration match you and your family played on Wizarding Wireless Vision's history channel; I can see that this new steamlining will make it a faster-paced game and more exciting to watch. Best of luck to the school team!"

"Thank you sir" said Gorbrin.

oOoOo

The game was fast paced and hard fought; and Gorbrin was extremely pleased that he and Meliandra had practised with lacrosse nets running up and down the beach in New Zealand; because when Draco caught the snitch Gorbrin was there to whack his own stick up and under the net of Draco's and the snitch flew clear out. Gorbrin failed to catch it in his net, and the chase was on between the brothers, deeply competitive and yet with that bond of love nobody could cut.

Experience counted; and it was Draco who had the snitch back, and this time almost threw the stick backwards to catch it just below the net in his left hand and reach to touch the snitch.

The game was over; it had taken just three hours and the school had lost by fifty points.

Which meant that they had outscored the visitors; and that had to be good.

Hands were shaken all round, photographs taken and Gorbrin found himself talking to Dennis again.

"I enjoyed the match" he said "Draco is just too good a seeker for me; it's all that practice feeling the collars of criminals that he's had. When I've been an Auror for a year or two perhaps I'll catch up with him. I guess I can just be glad that riding horses makes Harry Potter mildly seasick or we'd have an even better seeker! Mind, I might have had a better chance if I'd done what I wanted to do and ridden a Thestral; but I decided it wasn't fair on any viewers who couldn't see them."

"A poser to the end – typical Malfoy!" grinned Dennis. "Yes, Draco always was on Harry's heels as a seeker; Harry was the Quidsats Hadderach* but Draco was always the reserve!"

"And only your viewers who are in on that old joke will understand it" said Gorbrin. "And a few sundry muggleborn. I hope that viewers who enjoyed the game will write in to the Wizarding Wireless Vision office to express their views; it needs a following to really get going. I gather that the Withers-Weasley brothers have a mother who's prepared to be secretary of a new league if one can get going, so thanks to Hippolyta Withers-Weasley for that; and thanks too to our headmaster David Fraser for hosting the match and borrowing the horses for us to fly, and mounting his broom to referee for us. Thanks to my team who played up even though we haven't had as much chance to practise as we might have liked; it's been a great effort all round. I don't think the adult team had much chance to practise together either so it really was a bit of a scratch effort from both of us; I really do hope I'll be watching professional games sometime in the future."

Lucius spoke a few words too on how much he too had enjoyed himself and hoped to see a professional league grow out of this match, as flying horses were so central to the magical beasts of the wizarding world; and as he pointed out it made another opportunity for those who took Care of Domestic Beasts in examination

oOoOo.

Lucius and his wives were to stay after the match; after long deliberation, Lucius had decided that to be a part of the bloodgroup now made sense; where his strength could add, rather than being held in reserve.

And after all the other players and spectators went away, the blooded convened in Myrtle's loo and the look on Lucius' face as he could feel his beloved wives even more closely was one of the most beautiful things Gorbrin had ever seen.

He determined that he would borrow Lydia's rejuvenating chant to make sure that his wonderful dad and Narcissa should have as long to live as their younger wives; now that Charlotte was now as magical as anybody and able to feel the flow of magic in her veins.

David embraced Lucius after the blooding.

"You're my brother now, Lucius; and I'm so glad!" he said fiercely "I've always valued your friendship; right from the first when you learned how Riddle had been using you, and you listened to me like I was an adult, not a child, respecting the knowledge I had of muggles."

"I'd have been a fool not to" said Lucius "But then as Severus is fond of saying, too many people ARE fools. I have always prided myself on being no idiot; and I could see in your eyes – without having learned at the time any legilimensy – that you knew what you were talking about. And YOUR friendship has always been valuable to me, you know; your outlook is refreshing and you don't even acknowledge the existence of the word 'impossible' let alone know how to spell it!"

David laughed.

"I came to a world where the impossible existed; so I gave up believing that there was such a thing as impossible" he said.

"You and I are great partners" said Lucius, dropping an arm around David's shoulders.

They had achieved so much; and a lot of it was from David's suggestions. And Lucius had been generous in his acknowledgement of that; and the enchanted helicopter taxis of Wizard Whirligigs and his share in Wizarding Wireless Vision had made David rich. He was not actually sure HOW rich; but it was substantial.

Lucius had been good to him; to be joined in blood was somehow so right.

oOoOo

Lucius was contented.

He always felt amused that David should be such a modest young man; David who had made him a fortune out of his ideas; and only fair to share that good fortune with the originator. Wizarding Wireless Vision was the biggest thing that had happened to the Wizarding World for a long time; and perhaps David and Severus and Albus the only people besides himself to appreciate what it truly meant; control of the present in terms of news, and therefore too control of both past and future. With such a tool, never again could another Tom Riddle arise; unless somehow he gained control of this amazing medium of information. And that must never happen; which was why people like David and his descendants and Severus and his descendants must hold shares in Wizarding Wireless Vision as moderators against any future Malfoy; as the Malfoys would be a moderating influence against any of them. He would gift Arthur with some shares next Yule too, thought Lucius; Weasleys were down to earth and rarely fooled by glamour. And he would tell Arthur why, too. Arthur would understand. It was good to have made friends with an old adversary; even if he did still manage to shock him, and particularly Molly. There was a lot of fun in shocking Molly; she fluffed up like an outraged hen.

And now his dear wives were a part of his blood; no wonder Severus was so smug! If Lucius had thought himself close to his beloveds before he now KNEW what closeness was.

And he smiled at them; and their return demure smiles promised a lot of games in the bedroom when they got home.

Lucius reckoned he was the happiest and luckiest man in the wizarding world.

And it was all because Draco had loved him enough to want to save him.

He owed Draco more than it was possible to say; and with that blood bond they now shared he could show Draco in that bond.

oOoOo

Gorbrin took his ideas about having flying horses as part of the school to David.

David listened.

"It does make sense" he said "The flying horse meets ARE social occasions as much as balls; and actually having our best riders use school horses and ponies would be a good way of furthering their social ambitions if they are talented but not from the sorts of families that do own flying steeds. I may not entirely like the idea but school is about furthering social ambitions as well as about gaining an education; and a talented horsewoman say might be welcome in the family of an overbred horse owning family whose only equine abilities lie in their ability to neigh by the numbers."

Gorbrin grinned.

"Your prejudices are on display, David" he said.

"I'm afraid so" said David "But it IS a means to give upward mobility to those who have a skill. And too it gives more beasts to practise on for Care of Domestic Beasts; which would be valuable. To have two teams to play each other we'd need fourteen horses; I'm minded to go for eight horses and eight ponies, for teaching the youngsters to ride, and have four and three of each in the teams; and two horses over to referee on or to account for sickness. I suppose I shall have to learn to ride."

"Can't you sir? I'll teach you if you like!" said Gorbrin. "I sort of assumed you'd picked it up visiting dad."

"No; I picked up how to fly a helicopter; not horses" said David. "Though how much harder can it be than flying a griffon?"

"Easier actually I should think" said Gorbrin. "It's no different really to riding a hippogriff except that you don't have to go through all the bowing with a horse."

"Well I might be further ahead than I thought" said David. "I'll ask your father to arrange me suitable beasts; we don't need pedigree just to give people the taste of riding, I'm sure he'll find me some perfectly reasonable steeds. It's all very exciting!"

oOoOo

Of course the whole point of this match had been that it was a charity match; and Gorbrin and the members of the Society to Aid Marginalised Girls totted up what they had taken.

They had charged two Galleons entrance; and had packed in some three thousand visitors. The teas and refreshments sold by the busy girls of the sixth and the elves doubled that and more; and Stacey Kordach had run a bookie's office because wizards would bet on anything and you never saw a poor bookie. She had taken bets on side issues too like who would catch the snitch first; and who would end up with it; and how many fouls would be called and so on. And Stacey was conversant enough with the business through her father, with aid from her slightly coerced brother and sisters, to run the show with aplomb and present the pot with a further three thousand odd galleons. The total take – since Lucius had donated the use of the horses and ponies – was seventeen thousand one hundred and five galleons, twenty sickles and three knuts.

"Crumbs!" said Gorbrin "THAT was well worth it! That's the food and keep of almost seventeen girls for a year; or the raising of an abandoned baby from birth, bar school fees."

"And the appeal will go out on Wizarding Wireless Vision too" said Erica "If everyone who watches sends a few sickles that won't half mount up too."

"We could probably have charged more on the gate" said Meliandra.

"Yes; but then we'd almost have had to have offered free tea" said Erica "And we did well on refreshments; even after we took the costs out."

"Pity it wasn't a longer match" grinned Gorbrin "They'd have been hungrier and thirstier."

"Ah well" said Erica "Maybe next time!"

oOoOo

Gorbrin was much preoccupied with how well the fund raising had gone; too preoccupied to pick up perhaps small signs he would otherwise have seen when he wandered over to Hufflepuff house to ask Albert McMillan for the loan of a new potioneering book Albert had been sent by a certain Zlatka Asimova in Durmstrang school; Gorbrin and Albert had both learned German to liaise with their German allies. The book was called 'The Potions used in the Bactrian Empire' translated by Agalisse Schreiber and Nefrita Von Strang; Nefrita Von Strang was Jade Snape and she had made certain translations because the potioneer involved had used certain improvements that Severus too had discovered independently, thousands of years later. Gorbrin doubted there would be anything new, but it was always nice to have other works to reference; and as the original runic script was included he wanted to check out the translation to improve his own knowledge of Bactrian, not a language included extensively in the English curriculum.

Consequently he was in a brown study and mentally several thousand years in the past when he walked into the deadfall of stinging, burning acid.

Gorbin had not fought Odessa for nothing; a hasty _evanesco_ got rid of the acid, and as none had – fortunately – got in his mouth he began a healing chant to ensure that his eyes were not permanently damaged. He drew on the blood group to help him, absently mentally waving them away from turning up because he had it in hand.

And at that moment Kevin Slugworthy came out of the common room with his books ready for his next lesson.

"Gorbrin?" he said, nonplussed.

"Deadfall; nasty one" said Gorbrin, winding up his chant "Damn nearly blinded me; whoever did this is downright evil."

"And set for a Huffer" said Kevin. "After all, we can't assume anyone would know you'd be visiting us whether it's a social call or as Head Boy. Are you all right? Your clothes are quite singed!"

"Yes I think so thank you" said Gorbrin grimly "Are you always first out of your class?"

"Generally" said Kevin "And here come the crowd behind me. Why?"

"Because I'm hoping that the people who set this did NOT know how strong the acid was that they concocted" said Gorbrin.

"Oh doxy droppings, not the mad Ravenclaw, surely?" said Kevin, dismayed.

"Who else?" said Gorbrin grimly. "Apologise to your professor; you can tell whoever it is you stopped to rescue the head boy from a deadfall. It's about the best chance anyone will have to get a laugh out of the affair."

"They ought to be expelled for that!" said Kevin "Why, if you'd been blinded it would have been farewell to a career as an Auror!"

"THAT I intend to make clear" said Gorbrin. "And I'm going to give them every chance to apologise and cough up for my clothes as a part of it rather than take it to the head; because he won't have any choice BUT to expel Corner and any daft associates he has."

oOoOo

"Grievous bodily harm with intent" said Gorbrin to Randall Corner "And if this got to the headmaster's ears an expulsion for you laddie; and you're over mens rea, so likely the aurors called in. I am HOPING that you are merely as stupid as I have always been inclined to think you are and that you did not mean to risk destroying my career by blinding me – which had I been a less able wizard, be assured you WOULD have done – with intent to blind an ARTIST as Kevin Slugworthy is. And I know how precious an artist's eyes are; my sister is one. And by the way, here's a bill for the replacing of my entire clothing; as you can see they are burned beyond repair."

"Oh come off it Malfoy, it may have stung a bit but it wouldn't have blinded you" said Corner.

Gorbrin drew back the collar of his – newly changed – school shirt.

"Care to look at that scar?" he said coldly "I chose to save my eyes not my beauty. My hair I re-grew – it fell out as I got back to my dorm. Here it is; and the bits of charred scalp with it. LOOK at the damage you did to my school uniform you little prick; look at the back of my hands that I also chose not to bother about to save the touch of my potioneer's fingers. You could have been in Azkaban for that had it caught Kevin – who is NOT competent enough to save his own eyes by a rapid chant. And carry on with such an attitude and I promise you it WILL go to the head AND you'll be hearing from my Quaestor. Look, you arse!"

Corner looked; and paled.

Gorbrin Malfoy-Tobak was one of the most powerful young men in the English wizarding world; not to say all the wizarding world. And wealthy as Randall Corner's family might be, any Malfoy was capable of hounding him until he was destitute; and might well do just on principle. And the scars were ugly and horrific. He swayed.

Gorbrin absently summoned a chair for the boy to collapse into.

"I – I didn't realise it was so strong" stammered Corner.

"No; I rather fancied that you didn't" said Gorbrin grimly "That's why you're in MY office without witnesses not in the Head's office with someone with a grim face and black robes."

Corner swallowed hard.

"I – I'm most awfully sorry to hurt you so badly, Malfoy" he said. "I – is there anything that can be done?"

"Fortunately, yes" said Gorbrin "I CAN chant the scars out; because I am extraordinarily good; and I have marauders as friends who'll help me. That does NOT alter the fact that it happened; and it should not have done. I'm looking for you to start to realise that this childish and futile jealousy of Kevin Slugworthy is stupid enough to make you perform acts that a babe in the first might manage to accomplish but with further reaching consequences. You lost your temper and called duel; he was better than you. An adult – and you are almost an adult – would take that as a lesson to learn to keep his temper. You are too old for the childish rages you flash into – and more childishly continue to hold in a fit of the sulks. Yes sulks" he reiterated as Corner opened his mouth to protest. "You're sulking like a six year old little girl told she has to dance with a boy she dislikes at a children's party. You and Kevin both got lines from Bella – and only Bella would have the cheek to give lines to a prefect like Kevin; and only a prefect like Kevin would acknowledge that he was almost as much in the wrong as you for actively pursuing you. He's a prefect because of that sense of justice. You let your house be made a laughing stock because you tried to drag your quidditch team in on your private jealousies; and all credit to Sampta Patil for having the moral courage to do what was right. And the rest of the team captains asked the head to credit Ravenclaw House with points for a moral judgement too; he seemed to know what it was about though nobody sneaked you up."

Corner flushed, remembering the visit Xanthia had insisted they made to the head.

"It wasn't FAIR!" he said.

"Patil's decision? I'd say it was quite fair" said Gorbrin "Mel would chuck anyone off the Slytherin team who advocated cobbing – remember you suggested it to my kid sister who's in your house. If you mean the whole business over Kevin insulting you – and from what I heard it was no huge insult past normal house name calling – well, life isn't fair; maybe you shouldn't have been rude about his pets in the first place. Which is what started it laddie; YOUR comment. If there is any discredit you bring it on yourself!" he had to make the quote; it lightened his own mood. "You have two choices; write a letter of apology to Kevin over letting a quarrel get out of proportion; pay for my clothes; and make me a vow – I shan't make it unbreakable but I SHALL tie a curse to it – that you'll stop this foolish vindictive feud. Otherwise I shall have to go to the head because I do not know how else to deal with a perpetrator of grievous bodily harm and criminal damage."

The legal words went home and Corner paled.

"I – I'll do what you suggest, Malfoy" he said.

Gorbrin heaved a silent sigh of relief. He had been certain it had been stupid thoughtlessness not a desire to permanently maim Kevin; and from Corner's shock he had been right.

He cast the spell for the curse-enforced vow; it would not, like the Unbreakable Vow kill Corner but would bind him immovable until rescued if he tried by any action to break it. Gorbrin was rather pleased with it; it was his own design and he planned to write it in the Book of Wickedness in the Marauding Room.

With a promise to pay up and to write a letter of apology to Kevin, Randall Corner escaped; realising that he had got off a lot more lightly than his carelessness had deserved.

And realising that he had managed, by capitulating, to NOT make an eternal enemy of a Malfoy; and that had too to be a good thing!

Randall Corner resolved to try to curb his hot temper; it had been a hard lesson but it had sunk in deeply!

*_Dune reference for anyone who missed it_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"May I talk to my blood brother not the Headmaster?" asked Gorbrin anxiously.

"Of course; have a cup of tea" said David. "What can I do for you?"

"I THINK the Slugworthy-Corner - or rather, the Corner-Corner-Corner-Slugworthy – feud is over" said Gorbrin.

"Praise Merlin!" said David "How did you achieve that miracle?"

"By that idiot Corner over-reaching himself; I THINK I did the right thing but I want to check" said Gorbrin; and proceeded to run down what had happened.

"Snakes Alive!" said David. "Yes, if it had come to me officially I should have had no choice BUT to expel him; as a matter of principle. He was damnably lucky you got caught not Kevin; and are one of the most competent wizards of the age. I'm not even sure if the seniormost marauders in the school could have coped so quickly and well; I'm not even sure if I could have done at my age and experience. We all felt you draw on the blood and close off from us; and quick thinking to avoid involving anyone officially. If I'd come in response to your pain I should have had to take notice. Not that I DON'T take notice; but I'd say that if Randall does not realise his own luck he really is stupider than he's painted."

"He realises – once he found out how strong his ruddy acid was" said Gorbrin. "He's not so good a potioneer as he thought; and thank the powers that he found that out too before he killed anyone by accident."

"Quite" said David dryly. "You acted quite correctly, Gorbrin; mercifully but with decision and enough firmness to make the foolish boy aware that your mercy puts him in your debt. Perhaps he might start growing up."

"Had need" said Gorbrin with a sniff "I believe he was one of those Mei had to put 'prat' on the forehead of, for persecuting Darryl; and I think he was also one of those caught in Lilith's Riddle riddle jape."

"At least her japes this year have been moderately benign" said David.

"Lulling you into a false sense of security" grinned Gorbrin.

"More than likely!" agreed David cheerfully. "Well I am a lucky headmaster; moderately benign japesters, excellent prefects and a really competent head boy. I'm almost superfluous!"

Gorbrin grinned; he knew when David was teasing.

"As I understand the duties of a headmaster, he should know everything that's going on but if he gets to HEAR about it he's dreadfully disappointed" he said.

"That's rather nicely summed up" said David. "Yes; the head is here as a final arbiter, but really should only be a court of last resort. And yet the head who believes that everything is going swimmingly with no problems probably isn't nosy enough. By the by, how did you deal with the riot in the fourth prep room on Thursday?"

"I walked in – which made for total silence – and called Porphyria Martin out of the room to discuss a matter; and told her that if she did not restore order for herself in minutes two, I'd do it for her and report her as inadequate for preparation duty" said Gorbrin "And being under warning that her prefectship was in jeopardy for previous failures she went back in and set a colossal collective impot; which was NOT fair, but the ones who were behind the rioting got subsequently jinxed so hard into balls by the Pepperingye Marauders, who WERE working that I doubt they'll do it again. Why is it ALWAYS the fourth? With the Genevieve Harris fan club neutralised you'd think they'd settle down."

"It always is either the third or the fourth behind most mayhem in any school" said David "Old enough to be settled enough to feel no awe but not old enough to feel their responsibilities to pass exams I suppose. Who was behind it?"

"Ebenezer Gibbon and Bibaculus Wilkes; two of my Slythers I'm afraid" said Gorbrin. "They were having – of all things – a beetle race with the rule that turning your opponent's beetle into a button was permissible. There was apparently side betting going on. I caught them subsequently passing homemade betting slips and confiscated them, and any monies that had been made – which I added to the fund for Marginalised Girls, as I told the culprits – since betting for money in school is strictly forbidden. Not that I'd have made too much of an issue of it had it not taken place so blatantly in prep" he added.

David nodded.

"You need to keep your finger on the pulse of that sort of thing; see how serious it is, and if anyone's being well taken" he said. "They bet out of school in Hogsmeade of course, little perishers, as soon as they're over fourteen and it's legal; and again unless it's a case of fleecing lambs I blink at it. I intend – as you have done – to come down heavy on anything too blatant. Porphyria Martin and Deborah Summerby ought never to have been prefects."

"Trouble is who to have in their place" sighed Gorbrin "I suppose Albus did not want to have all male prefects in one year; he used to stretch a point occasionally with the two fifth year prefects gender wise; but the girls in our year in Hufflepuff are somewhere between dire and gormless."

"Well, I see Albus' point but for the good of the school I'll be choosing prefects on grounds of capability NOT gender" said David.

"Well in Slytherin's fifth for next year you only have one girl to choose from; U-may. Mind, I'd not say she's not a good choice" said Gorbrin.

"Yes; she's a Marauder too" said David "I thought her and Nathan; Isambard's a bit well…. Isambardish."

"Yes; and I gather Nathan had to threaten him NOT to get involved in the beetle racing" said Gorbrin "If only because, as Nathan pointed out, someone was bound to hear the row and get waxy. My brother's no idiot" he added proudly.

"Oh he'll do us very well" said David. "Malfoys tend to."

"Happy home life" said Gorbrin laconically as he left, much happier than before he came for the chat.

Doing business over tea was ideal, thought David, glad he had decided to make it a ritual that was a part of his tenure as headmaster. And now he needed to invite someone else to tea.

oOoOo

David invited Professor Flitwick to tea.

"Off the record, Filius, you shouldn't have any more trouble from Randall Corner" he said.

"You managed to stop the feud that silly child has been fostering – without, may I say, any idea on the part of his opponent that he IS an opponent?" squeaked little Flitwick.

"Not me; Gorbrin" said David; and explained. Filius groaned.

"WHY do I have an entire year of dunderheads?" he complained.

"Oh the four who are prefects are all right" soothed David "Venilia and Avice, Jack and Sampta are excellent children – even if it took a couple of them a little time to have their corners knocked off. With luck Gorbrin has just knocked off another Corner as you might say."

"THAT, David, is a terrible pun" said Filius with dignity. "One can hope so. But really, though Sampta and Jack have turned out all right I do feel that entire intake has been something of an affliction."

"I'm sure Severus often felt the same about his deatheater families" said David. "And I must say I felt some despair over McLaggan and Shacklebolt and the Genevieve Harris fan club in Gryffindor; McLaggan's settled down and Shacklebolt is mostly quiescent and the Pepperingye Marauders settled the hash of the silly boys the Harris girl was encouraging. All houses have their problem years; some more easily sorted out than others. Look at the first four years in Ravenclaw; mostly harmless, with only the odd er fly in the ointment."

"Tancred Dagworth in the second, that little liar Sonia Goshawk in the third and the fact that I want to bang Rufina Scrimgeour's head together with that of Simi Patil at times" said Flitwick.

"Well otherwise they're mostly harmless" said David.

"Even if that is because the fourth are as stodgy as puddings apart from Jingjie and Wanda" said Flitwick. "Well better that than prima donnas. One might however like the ideal of Ravenclaw more often; the academic with lofty ideals."

"The trouble with lofty ideals is that too often lofty idealists are also sufficiently naively gullible and get dragged down to follow less than lofty ideals" said David. "You have some very fine Ravenclaws; do not let the occasional idiot savant blind you to the likes of the Changs, the Corbin twins, the Waffling children, those prefects already discussed, and quite a few of the younger ones. And the house may have had its dark moments; but what house has not? And who can say but that even some of the more idiotic ones will not make good? James Potter and Sirius Black were hardly luminaries of Gryffindor in their youth; but they wised up. Lucius escaped the pernicious influence of Tom Riddle to make Slytherin proud of him; and Draco! Why, I understand that he used to be a sullen youth – not the fearless comedian who invented Convolvumort! Ravenclaw attracts the high flyers; and it is a sad fact of life that such tend to be the little princes and princesses of their family whose every pronouncement is witty; whose artistic temperament must never be crossed, until their well meaning and idiotic parents turn them into boring spoilt brats who get surprised when nobody else appreciates them. In the same way that Slytherin House attracted the old families with THEIR little princes and princesses. And if you ask me, Filius, one of the best things about going to school is learning to laugh at yourself when you've been guilty of taking yourself too seriously. I have to say the house I'm worrying about most right now is Hufflepuff because like the old witches of the classics who tossed their singular eye and tooth between themselves I seriously worry that some of them do the same with their singular brain cell! At least in the upper school; your turgid fourth years are comparatively scintillating!"

Filius laughed.

"Barring a few" he said "And you are thinking in particular of two girls whose mouths open in bland incomprehension that does not even care that it understands not, to let what few stray thoughts were held within trickle out like the drool of an imbecile."

"Exactly" said David. "Pomona has the patience of a saint."

"Just as well she does" said Filius "Having a great niece who kills plants by being in the same room; I can't imagine how galling that must be!"

David decided to change the subject; Filius was taking an almost malicious pleasure in diverting his troubles to those of somebody else; well, everyone had their weakness, and vanity was that of most Ravenclaws and Filius was no exception.

He turned the conversation to quidpolo and asked Filius for his thoughts on the subject.

Filius laughed.

"Oh it will take off this time, no pun intended!" he said "Not because of the new streamlined rules – though that may help – but because Lucius Malfoy has made it fashionable; and sanctioned too by the Corbin family it's almost bound to take!"

"Cynic" said David.

"It IS the way of the world" shrugged Filius. "If it's a good game it will survive the fashion craze. I think it may well do so. A lot of people ride, or would like the excuse to ride. And it's a better game than that fool Quidpot they play in America; where too they have a lot of horses. Yes, it will survive. And so will the four houses, regardless of minor glitches. A fine and subtle way to draw my melancholy thoughts to place things into perspective David."

David had intended no such thing but decided not to enlighten the little Charms Professor and disappoint him.

He poured another cup of tea with an enigmatic smile.

That worked for Albus after all when he was pretending omniscience.

oOoOo

"Minerva, is it true that you're thinking of retiring? And is it really me that's driven you away?" demanded Lilith, standing on one foot in an agony of suspense.

"Lilith my dear! WHERE dae ye hear such rumours? And o' course it's nothing tae dae wi' you! Now ye've taken baith yer exams I can say without disturrrbing ma conscience too mich that I love ye dearly as I do yer wee mither; though one should no' have favourites ye ken."

Lilith hugged her fiercely.

"Oh I DO love you too Minerva!" she said. "ARE you thinking of retiring? Hazel Spikenard interpreted her draw of cards that way, which I'd have ignored as her usual claptrap only I overheard Sirius talking to Remus – we marauders specialise in dropped eaves – and then Shacklebolt said it was hardly surprising when a certain redhead had been mentioned as being worse than her mother by the said Madam McGonagall. So I couldn't but wonder."

"Yon lassie is a spiteful little….piece" said Minerva. "If I met the two of ye, not knowing your houses, I'd aye have tagged her for the worst sorrt of Slytherin and ye as a Gryffindor."

Lilith giggled.

"I'll take that as a compliment; I HAD to be Slytherin for family" she said. "The hat wanted me to be a Raver; well Sextus is cool and his dorm aren't bad but a RAVER! I'd rather even be a Huffer than that; but Gryffs and Slythers are the two best houses. Outside of Marauders of course" she added. "ARE you thinking of retiring?"

"It has crossed my mind, aye" said Minerva "Albus is my oldest friend ye ken."

Lilith giggled again.

"I can just see him looking outraged and saying 'less of the OLD, Minerva' to you" she said.

Minerva smiled an austere smile.

"Aye, so can I" she said.

"Please Minerva, it's not just being selfish but will you stay a few years?" asked Lilith.

"Why child! There's nothing more I can teach YOU" said Minerva.

"No; but if you go when David's only been here a year he might think it's because you can't stick him and the changes he's instituted" said Lilith. "And I know fine well that you probably disagreed loudly with Albus over decisions he made; but it's not that. Because you just speak your mind; and then accept with good grace if your opinion still differs with that of the head. Only he's quite young for a headmaster and – and I have a feeling he'd not SAY anything but be convinced he'd driven you away."

Minerva blinked.

"Why…. I hadnae considered that, young Lilith. I'd no' wish tae dae anything tae hurrt wee David – Professor Fraser I mean – and I'd not imagined he might feel so. Aye, youth is insecure; well then I'll stay on at least anither twa years; will that satisfy ye?"

Lilith squealed with delight and hugged her again. Minerva hugged her back. Lilith was such a dear little girl; and she spoke straight out, not meaning cheek but just because she was so straightforward. And though she, Minerva, like Albus, had not retired previously in order to see Harry through HIS schooling, it would be nice to watch dear Krait's oldest daughter through hers.

oOoOo

Lilith and her cronies had other plans besides school work; and as third years with the opportunity to visit Hogsmeade they also had the chance to stock up on certain items necessary to such plans.

oOoOo

David was contemplating going to bed when the little light in his office that indicated that someone had left the beach in New Zealand lit up and the chime sounded.

David blinked.

There should be nobody on the beach to be returning; he had not been out of his office all evening – largely because he was draughting a proposal to the governors to start a stable and arrange riding lessons for the pupils – and he would surely have noticed if anyone had slipped out, with or without signing the book.

David apparated directly outside the junior cloakroom; and listened to the voices within.

oOoOo

"Where you are is a bit of a long story; WHY you're here and who you are is another" said Lilith's voice. "You have an Antipodean accent; and you must have come to the bay by boat."

"Yes I did" said a voice David did not know; it did have an Antipodean accent. "My name's Stuart Hodge; I'm eleven and a half."

"Stuart? That's very…"Lilith began

"WHAT?" the unknown boy snapped.

"Scots" said Lilith. "At least it is if it's spelled –uart- because otherwise it's not."

"It is spelled the Scottish way" said Stuart. "I hate it."

"Why? I know the Stuarts were disasters as kings in England but their predecessors in Scotland were all right" Sextus' voice drawled. "And why by the way are we still in the cloakroom not out on the beach?"

"Because, you Baboon, we're waiting for Professor Fraser to cease all his semper fideling to work, and to sod off to bed because if you're naïve enough to think he hasn't got some means of telling when someone uses the gate I'm not" said Lilith. "Why DO you hate it Stuart?"

"Because they call me Suet Podge" said Stuart miserably.

"Crumbs! THEY sound pretty rotten" said Lilith. "You are rather overweight; but there's more things than gluttony can cause that, like my cousin Ian who was in a foster home til Lucius adopted him and a boy there was doing unspeakable things to him – and if that's what's happened to you it's no wonder."

"I guess not 'cos I'm not quite sure what unspeakable things you mean; it was when mummy and daddy were killed by the drunkard and I just ate and slept and I was in a city place, they wouldn't let me go back to the ranch and so there was nothing to do except hide that I wanted to cry. Then they sent ME to a foster home and I have to go to school and it's awful" said Stuart.

Lilith sighed.

"Well we're going to get an impot for being illegally out of our beds anyway; so we might as well have our midnight feast and THEN tell Professor Fraser; he was orphaned by a drunk driver, Stu, so I guess he'll understand."

"Midnight feast? It's the middle of the day!" said Stuart.

"Not in Scotland" said Lilith "THAT's why we opened a magical gate to New Zealand; better weather. Oh come on, people you can SEE he's at least a sensitive; he's staring covertly all the time at Gennar, Kazrael and Venus because he can see their goblin features and the ruddy gate isn't visible unless you're magically active; we MADE it that way, remember?"

"She's right" said Sextus "It's a bad habit of hers. Why isn't Stuart at a school for wizards and witches in New Zealand then?"

"Because" said David coming in "Only those who can prove Maori blood are eligible; other people have other forms of blood snobbery. Lilith, Sextus, pick up that basket of goodies; I'm joining your midnight feast and we may as well have it on the beach; let me sign out for us all. Would you have signed out by the way?"

"Of course sir" said Lilith "If there was a fire in the night while we were gone, people might risk lives looking for us while we were safe elsewhere if we didn't."

"Sometimes I do wonder if you Stripy Marauders aren't older than half the sixth, THANK you Kazrael I don't want to hear that" as Kazrael was whispering to Jayashree that he meant Porphyria Martin and Deborah Summerby.

On the beach with goodies – David partook only sparingly of pumpkin juice and the odd biscuit – Stuart told his story. He and his parents had driven up for the day to Nelson, on the north tip of South Island, almost a year ago to go shopping for Stuart's eleventh birthday and to go to a show. It was a whole long weekend away from his parents' sheep station, a family treat; a family treat that ended in disaster.

"I was standing on a low wall because I had walked along it when the car veered off the road onto the pavement" said Stuart. "I don't remember much and yet I remember everything in images; like photos. They come back in my nightmares. There was blood. And someone took me somewhere and then somewhere else and asked questions; and they told me I had to eat. And I did because they told me to and I didn't really notice what I was eating. And then all the days were just sitting or eating or sleeping and that was filled with nightmares. And I wanted to go home; it took me a while to accept that mum and dad wouldn't be with me. But even when I did I wanted to go home; Jed was there, the shepherd. But they said it was no life for a child. Is being pinched and poked and called names a life for a child?"

"No lad, it isn't" said David. "We'll test you out and see if you're eligible to stay here; and if you are I'll need you to tell me names and addresses so I can convince the muggle authorities – the non wizarding people – that you won a scholarship to a place your parents entered you for a long time ago and got taken away legitimately."

"And what if I'm NOT eligible to stay here? Can't I live on the beach? In the cave? I can fish!" said Stuart.

"If you're not a wizard we'll find some way to take care of you" said David. "I have friends in the muggle world who'd adopt you I'm sure; but we cross that bridge if we come to it. Have you ever done anything unusual?"

"What, apart from running away from the orphanage and stealing a boat?" said Stuart.

"I mean accidentally setting light to things; talking to snakes; divined the future; hurt someone who was hurting you without quite knowing how?"

"I've given someone an electric shock" said Stuart "I didn't mean to; I was scared. It was the one who grabbed me down off the wall."

"Then I should think you are quite eligible" said David. "You'll be in the first year anyway; they're a decent bunch, I'm sure they'll help you settle in, whichever school House you end up in."

"We're from every House" said Lilith "Us lot here. Gennar and Kazrael and me are in Slytherin House; Venus is in Gryffindor; Jayashree is a Hufflepuff; and Sextus for his sins is in Ravenclaw."

"Oy, Half Pint" said Sextus.

"Oh yes, the unwritten rule is that it's only done to call people nicknames about what they look like if you're best friends" said Lilith "Like Sec calling me Half Pint. I mean, if Pustule Dippet actually HAD pustules instead of having accidentally caused lots of other people to have them, it wouldn't be done to call her Pustule. So if anyone is a rotter enough to call you Suet, you refer the matter to us and we'll reason with them."

"She means jinx them into a ball" said Gennar. "I say, my brother Ian hasn't got a special friend; we'll introduce you to him. He's sort of mates with a lot of his year but the twins came as a matched pair, so did Sevvy and Tarquin – being brothers – and Salazar is kind of in solitary splendour as leader of the group though everyone knows he's at least half gone on Bryony; and Bryony's joined at the hip with Naomi. That's if you're a Slytherin of course; you don't want to be a Ravenclaw, they're a bunch of nonentities this year which means at least they ARE harmless; Henry Tranter's a poet and an orator but there's no REAL harm to him despite that. He's a prig which kind of exacerbates the rest you see" he explained.

"Henry wants to be Cicero but doesn't have the brilliance" said Lilith. "The Ravers are all right in the first, Gen; well most of the girls are and the boys are quiet enough."

"Yeah, but as a marauder I have to take that as a fault" said Gennar. "When the Hufflepuffs are actually louder and more interesting than the Ravers you have to wonder! Well, Darren Slugworthy is anyway and Coral Sneden; Emma McMillan just squeals at everything."

"The Gryffs are pretty all right in the first" said Venus "Me being a Gryffindor as should know. Ragnok's a bit busy about other folk's doings but the rest are a nice bunch, so long as you don't get involved in Balduk and Seb trying to blow things up."

"The boys in question make fireworks for a hobby" said David dryly "Which sometimes get a little out of hand."

"That sounds like bonza fun kinda" ventured Stuart.

"I did like the one that burst into jellyfish to join the shoal of fish in the great hall" said Lilith "But the one right after that that exploded in a cloud of soot wasn't quite so successful. I say, Stuart, if you think hard about how you used to look before you ate to forget we can put you back before you go into school. The quick way."

"Don't worry" said Sextus "Lilith is very good at transfigurations; she can do human transfigurations most grown ups wouldn't contemplate."

"Yes and her leaps of faith actually really help people who are poor at it" said Kazrael "Like the Jerboas into sheep because of being woolly jumpers that she had her remedials make into wolves because woolly and wolfy sound enough alike and then you have sheep in wolves' clothing."

"Only I had the class put them back because having sheep wandering about a picnic place is one thing; wolves is something else" said Lilith. "Yes, I see; this is going to feel odd."

Stuart gasped; and his body shrank back to the normal proportions of a work-hardened little boy.

"I – oh THANK you!" he cried; ready to do anything for such an amazing little girl, wanting to be in HER house!

"You'll have to work to get the muscles back" said Lilith critically "I CAN restore muscles but the tone is a false tone and easy to tear; nothing beats the actual slog of putting on muscle. You've got the muscle mass, it's just flabbed for underuse. Several weeks working out and sparring with the rest of us ought to be, er, bonza. We rise at five thirty to run generally, and I say people, if we plan to do so tomorrow, or rather later today, we ought to get back. And hurrah for outside so we don't have to clear up the crumbs" she shook the tablecloth into the wind. "Are we under impot, Professor?" she beamed at David.

"No; but you will be if you yawn in anyone's classes tomorrow" said David.

Lilith beamed yet more.

"It's Saturday tomorrow" she said.

"Why so it is!" said David. "I'll see you all at five thirty then."

oOoOo

The school peered curiously at the small boy in loose, ill fitting clothes who came to sit under the sorting hat before breakfast; and heard it declare him 'Slytherin!'.

Lilith and Gennar had firmly introduced him to Timothy Malfoy in the middle of the night; the good looking blonde boy had smiled sleepily, said 'good whatever time of day it is' and went back to sleep.

They had talked more when rising for something called the 'Muggle Studies Hobby Group' and Stuart had told of his amazement that Lilith had got rid of the fat that had flowed easily onto the suddenly indolent body of a boy used to work hard on a sheep farm.

And Timothy told Stuart about his brother Ian, who had been sexually abused by a bigger boy in foster care.

"They split us all up" said Timothy "It was awful; foster care isn't at all for the good of the children it's to have unwanted kids cared for on the cheap. But then dad found us; Lucius. He's our cousin in some degree but he's dad now; like he's dad for Gennar and HIS siblings because they're his step children. Dad is greedy; he has four wives, so we gained four mums as well as a dad, Ian, James, me and Penny. She's the baby; she's not at school yet. James is in Gennar's year but he's not a marauder. He and his friends support the marauders of course. Ian's not a marauder either; nor am I. Never wanted to be. There aren't any in our year, but we're the Lifemunchers."

This necessitated explanations about marauders, deatheaters, Voldemort and lifemunchers; and Stuart was fairly bemused by the time he got to be sorted by the hat.

Not that he cared a whole lot; the kids here weren't like the rotten city kids in Nelson who called him names and made foul comments about what he did with sheep when he expressed a wish to be back on the farm. They rallied round to lend him kit; and then Professor Fraser took him by some kind of teleporting to London – so Professor Fraser said – to buy him school books and uniform. It was a dizzy whirl around a strange street with stranger denizens! And then he had the rest of the day to get to know people while Professor Fraser went to sort some things out.

Timothy introduced him about to the other boys in their dormitory first – just like in school books – one of whom was a strange looking little creature called Sevvy.

"Yes, I'm a full blood house elf" said Sevvy with dignity "and I'm WORKING on a larger form; we were cursed into the small form in the first place. I'm adopted by dad because my mum is his second wife; he has three, and no it isn't usual despite Lucius being greedy enough to have four, my mum and mother Dione were sort of collected by mother Krait to be looked after until they learned to be strong for themselves. Tarquin's my cousin by rights but we might as well be brothers because we don't do racism."

"Bonza" said Stuart.

He discovered that the Black twins were not designated by their colour but by their family name; that Salazar was a handsome boy with an aura of command and serious mien; and that he was introduced to Wilfrid Trimmer almost as an afterthought and to Bernard Higgs not at all.

"I say, can I write up your adventures as a novel?" said Wilfrid.

"If you do let him it'll be a few more offences against the English language but he won't embroider too much" said Timothy judiciously. "Trimmer's going to write for a living; he likes practising on biogs of his fellows. Most of us gave in and let him because he goes around looking hangdog if you don't. He's harmless so long as you don't actually rely on any of his potions to work."

"I'm no worse at potions than you, Malfoy!" said Wilfrid.

"Never said you were" said Timothy "But, old boy, at least we make our critiques of a budding writer with moderate kindness; do NOT expect the same in the cold hard world of wordsmithing. I said I'd put in a word for you with the 'Wizarding Times' – WHEN you learn a bit more grammar. To boldly split infinitives that no man has split before is one thing but the editor DOES like you to have a grasp of such things as the difference between 'effect' and 'affect' when used as verbs. The first meaning, in case you're still at sea, to bring about; the second, to cause a change to. Subtle but definite difference. You may EFFECT an entry into the kitchen to scoff jam tarts which will AFFECT your state of health next day when you throw them up."

"Oh is THAT how you use them!" said Wilfrid "I seen 'affect' used like 'effect' in the papers before!"

"Only the 'Daily Prophet' I wager" said Timothy "Which is a rag. It's why dad started the 'Times' in the first place; to have a viable alternative."

"SUCH a clever boy is this new Stuart Hodge" sneered Bernard Higgs "To latch onto the rich boy in the class; the well-connected and wealthy Malfoy family; rich enough and powerful enough that Lucius Malfoy's adulterous relations with all kinds of women is ignored by society."

"I hear this high pitched whining like a mosquito but I really can't be bothered to squish it" murmured Timothy. "You might hear tell of a boy so lost to shame he refused to sit next to an elf or a goblin or a hag in the boats on the way to school and so he got thrown overboard as he'd obviously rather swim; racists are SUCH a bore. Some people actually make an issue about one of my mothers being a goblin and one being part elf, part fey. And that it was thought for a long time that another was a muggle; and dad didn't care. That she's now discovered more powers in herself is nice; but not important. Ignore such trash."

"ARE you rich and powerful?" asked Stuart.

"Me personally? Not so you'd notice" said Timothy "My DAD is. Most of us intend to carve out our own lives and not hang on the family; Draco and Gorbrin will be the main heirs, the oldest two, and nobody likes to think about that anyway because that would mean dad would be dead. I'm sorry; that was insensitive."

"You've already been orphaned once, mate; I wouldn't wish you orphaned again" said Stuart warmly.

Timothy touched his arm.

Friendships are sometimes born in an instant, a shared look; and Stuart knew that he and Timothy would always be friends.

Life could go on after bereavement; there were ways to learn to be happy again.

_Thanks to Queen of the Jungle who pointed out that a sheep farm in the antipodes should be farm or station, hence the slight changes to this chapter_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

It was Lilith who declared that Stuart should be nicknamed 'Pliny'.

"Why?" demanded Stuart.

"Eludes me a little too, Halfpint" said Sextus, Lilith's inevitable companion.

"Because Pliny the Elder – he was a Roman writer - said 'there's always something new out of Africa'" said Lilith "And you might not be something new out of Africa, but you ARE something new out of New Zealand. And Pliny never new about New Zealand so he couldn't say it but he would have if he'd thought of it. It's either that or Pippin Took because of 'Lord of the Rings' being filmed there."

Stuart had curly brown hair.

"I think I prefer the classical tag" he said.

It stuck – at least so far as the Marauders were concerned – and Stuart much relieved that it was a sight better than being 'Suet'.

oOoOo

It was hard work catching up; but Stuart did not care. Timothy helped; and various layers of Marauders; and Professor Fraser promised him classes in the holidays to bring him on. To be in a school of magic, to do magic, to have a wild moor to wander out onto – with a friend and providing others knew you were going – was wonderful. The restrictions concerning the moor were to do with bogs mostly, plus weirdos hiking, and snakes. Having prohibitions explained was fine; and Stuart accepted them. He knew every inch of his own land in New Zealand, its dangers and where to find water. He could accept that a new land held its own pitfalls and that juniors were restricted. David introduced him to Hagrid and left the gigantic groundsman to introduce the country boy to the local dangers. He should be more than fair at dealing with beasts if he had previously farmed sheep, after all!

David had spent a busy weekend confunding muggles in Nelson into believing that a lawyer had come to collect Stuart to go to a private school; and in checking out the arrangements that had been made for the care of the land for a minor. There did not appear to be any provision made to have a manager set over the land; so David made contact with the local wizarding community and discovered the son of a goblin prostitute with only minimal Maori blood who had made his way in the muggle world as his own world despised him who understood management and sheep, having taken a lot of casual labour whilst working for a degree in management.

Being manager for a wizard who was going to appreciate him pleased Hoani B'stard as the man called himself with typical Antipodean laconic humour. Having a Maori name was almost de rigeur; Hoani was delighted that his employer had no Maori blood at all and was to learn from a famous English school.

"And let them stick that right up their rectums" he said.

He was a tough looking, weatherbeaten half goblin with shrewd grey eyes and an air of competence; and David used legilimency to check that he would serve the interests of young Stuart well. If Stuart returned to farming, having a manager who knew the land, and his hand Jed, would be an advantage to help him settle back in; there was enough land to pay a manager's wages. And if Stuart preferred to stay in England, well then, Hoani might wish to buy him out, as David hinted.

"Or go into partnership and increase holdings with anything I can save up" said Hoani.

David nodded.

That was sensible thinking; and showed a man who could plan for any eventuality in the future. And perhaps one day the corner of a sheep ranch might be bought as a school for those who could not prove Maori blood and for goblins. He said nothing to Hoani; but he did answer questions about whether it was true that English schools educated non humans.

oOoOo

Stuart was also introduced to quidditch; he was an indifferent player and not especially interested, beyond being tickled that magical people really DID fly on brooms; but he cheered his house on because they had given him a family where he had none.

Slytherin's first and second teams recorded wins over Gryffindor; though the margin was narrow. And the second team won only because Paris Bullivant snatched the snitch before Seth could get onto it; dragging victory from the jaws of defeat. The first team's game was a battle of sisters; Zakala Malfoy-Tobak in Gryffindor trying to outscore older sister Zajala in Slytherin. The Slytherin chasers scored better, and their beaters and Lilith, twirling like a mad clockwork toy, as keeper denied goals; and that Gorbrin just beat Sekunder to the snitch was not quite irrelevant but Slytherin had looked the better team by the score, though as Meliandra said, it was hard work all the way.

And Ravenclaw declared that a few weeks practice in the fine weather had gelled their new team; Randall Corner might have learned his lesson but Sampta planned on standing by her expulsion for the year; and too that of Xanthia and Ferdinand for their unsportsmanlike conduct.

And if Randall had apologised – which he had – THEY had not; so Sampta placed him as reserve and resolved not to reinstate the other two after the year's end at all.

And if Ferdinand rather relied on being seen by touts in the hopes of a career in professional quidditch, that was his problem; professional quidditch did not encourage such behaviour. Sampta might personally suspect that it was merely an excess of pride that prevented Ferdinand from making apology to her; but that too was his problem.

Ravenclaw played Hufflepuff first; getting their hand back in with a gentle match, as Lilith unkindly put it.

There was never really any doubt as to the outcome even with Ravenclaw's drastically remodelled team. Largely because they were actually playing AS a team; as indeed was the second team too.

Hufflepuff had recorded no wins from either team in the entire year; which as Gorbrin said was a worse record than the way they played, but then, they had had chances galore to score that had not been capitalised on for poor teamwork and it only went to prove that a team was no stronger than its weakest player unless the rest of the team played to the weakest player's strengths.

Ravenclaw's teams did not suffer from that problem; and from the moment Gorbrin mounted his broom he knew they had a match on their hands.

Sampta, Simi and Alrak were causing Mel, Bryony Urquhart and Lilith no end of problems; Nathan, Phil Bullivant and Zajala were having to work to get any goals past the serious work of Avice Crawford and Reggie Pike, and Emerald Cherrytree really was a very talented keeper.

The scores were neck and neck when Gorbrin saw the snitch.

So had Jack Murray.

The chase was on. And chase it must be; both boys knew each other well enough not to be fooled by any feint any more. It was down to speed, sheer brilliance and a bit of luck.

And the sheer brilliance and luck were on Jack's side that day; and the snitch fluttered just to one side and Jack reacted, throwing himself half off his broom to grab it.

They shook hands as friendly rivals; it had proved Sampta's bold policy of playing fair rather than keeping those who were best on paper to bring the team into disrepute. And her substitute team had risen to the challenge.

Her second team did not do quite as well; they had the teamwork and the dedication but they lacked the fire of the Slytherin second team.

This left Ravenclaw with an overall four wins; and Slytherin with five. Gorbrin glowed; taking the shield as seeker in his last year was something special! Gryffindor had notched up three wins and it was embarrassing to contemplate Hufflepuff's duck.

And Gorbrin set impots for a selection of mixed non Hufflepuff juniors who quacked rudely.

They too would think twice about being so discourteous when aching wrists had written out 'The Lady of Shalott' ten times.

When asked why this choice of poem, Gorbrin had replied it was the longest and most tedious poem he could think of and he was thinking of that as a moral message rather than the content. And certainly the doom HAD come upon them, as he added with grim humour!

It took Sebastian Rice – who had been one of those quacking – to add after his impot

"The duck flew out and floated wide

the laughter cracked from side to side

'the doom has come upon you!' cried

the head boy with impot."

Gorbrin tucked it away as one of those treasured mementoes of his time as head boy.

oOoOo

The end of term was celebrated by the installation of a new Wizarding Wireless Vision screen; Lucius having pioneered the use of partial globes to show the action only slightly flattened; more like a TV screen. This was large enough therefore that everyone in the great hall could watch, being the size of a small cinema screen; and showed a modern adaptation to an Ancient Greek wizarding play, 'the trouble with girls'. It had been massively Bowdlerised; the elf slave of the household was still the wisest character who sorted out all the tangled problems of the other protagonists but he was decently clad in a duster without any false appurtenances to his body as had been traditional in Ancient Greece; and though there was a lot of innuendo, it passed the younger children by. The plotline was not unusual; a young wizard and his father move house and to the father's horror, next door to them is a discarded mistress of his and her daughter. Naturally the boy is smitten, and his father horrified in case she turns out to be his sister. Meanwhile, the neighbour on the other side has three eligible but ugly daughters all of whom lust after the young wizard.

The older wizard, now widowed, is meanwhile attracted to his ex mistress who secretly desires him but pretends to spurn him as he once spurned her for the sake of his marriage. The young boy is meeting the young girl clandestinely and there are scenes of everyone trying to elude everyone else except the person they are trying to tryst with. The clever slave manages to convince the three ugly sisters that the young wizard has dragonpox and they go off looking for a healthier specimen, and the elf then persuades the ex mistress to declare her love for the older wizard and reveal that her daughter is not his daughter at all but the result of an affair on the rebound with – of all people – a muggle.

This is horribly shocking to the older wizard but the girl's mother declares that her daughter has manifested every sign of power; and as his son is not at least kissing his sister the older wizard capitulates and permits them to wed.

The whole was interspersed with comic songs from the clever pens of Mad Lockhart and Chad Fenwick, mostly performed by the elf, who was one of a few free elf actors and who had a remarkably clear sweet voice singing

"And now he's kissed her,

kissed his sister

he's definitely kissed her,

said he's missed her

is she his sister?

Oh what a vista!"

As one of the catchy numbers; the last line as her tunic falls forward and her cleavage is visible. The line was sung with gusto and definite innuendo by the elf.

The school enjoyed it, on the whole, the comedy – as Lilith said – offsetting the gruesome amounts of looove and could they have a good murder mystery next time please.

oOoOo

Neither Gorbrin nor Kevin Slugworthy would be going home for this holiday as they both had exams; so Gorbrin entrusted the care of the train journey to the Belle Marauders and walked away before he changed his mind and had too many misgivings.

Especially as Bella had smiled sweetly and said that if they were troubled by people from the ministry they would only let them onto the train after transfiguring them into goats.

From anyone but a Marauder that might have been a cliché.

Especially as Gorbrin heard Lilith volunteering to help them.

Gorbrin remembered suddenly that Lilith was to be remaining too for HER revision and potion preparation; and heaved a sigh of relief. It had been a wind up of hers aimed at him.

He went and tickled her forthwith on principle.

Lilith was working hard on her Veritaserum; and it was going well. Gorbrin was down to the final stages of Felix Felicis; and had included the vial from Beauxbatons for his bottled sunlight.

The Easter Holidays buzzed with the independent industry of those who, freed from the constraints of other children and set lessons, were completing projects.

Meliandra had completed her brewing of Liberamore Major; her hard work was now the various distillations to cover the increase in strength of any love potions it countered having been stored. Albert McMillan was making veritaserum as Lilith was; and Stacey, whose potion was not a long one, took advantage of empty dungeons to brew the Draught of Living Death. Ming's omnioculars were progressing well in the metalcrafting dungeon as was Albert's divining map; and everyone else was quietly optimistic.

Several of the group had two projects on the go; Ming and Albert were taking both Potions and Metalwork; Erica was taking metalwork and art. Her artwork was a formal portrait of Cosmo Malfoy in full academic robes surrounded with the paraphernalia of an astronomer with the constellation of Draco visible in the window behind him; an allusion to the fact that he shared a birthday with his relative Draco. Erica, no astronomer herself, had done considerable research into this. She enjoyed working on this now famous relative of hers, chatting to him as she painted him and added detail. She changed the window at the last minute to be a chart of the stars of Draco, adding a window elsewhere – on Cosmo's advice – in which she placed the stars that should be visible at the time of her painting so that they could swing through the sky overnight and show the appropriate constellations for the time and for the time of year. As she laughed and teased him, it was plain to see he was a Malfoy, picky about details.

"Right is right" insisted Cosmo.

There would be some interesting stars visible from time to time; since Erica insisted on keeping a night sky all the time, so the stars that would have been visible, had not normally the brightness of the sun drowned out their distant radiance, could be seen in the painting during daylight hours.

Erica's metalworking project was a set of earrings and necklace. Each earring could attune on command to a certain conversation, tuning others out, and being generally effective as a hearing enhancement; the necklace could cast a _muffliatus_ spell on command as well as obscuring the clear sight of the movement of lips to inhibit lip reading by misdirecting attention of anyone concentrating on looking at them. Erica intended it as a gift for Finn who was often ignored by many people at parties, uncertain how to address her; and Finn adored acting the spy for Lucius.

The only other person taking metalwork to NEWT was Jazka; and Jazka was building a calculator of moon phases and rising and setting times to be useful for the potioneer, chanter or herbologist as an everlasting almanac. Lucius was promising to market it; it would not, after all, drive the writers of almanacs out of business since it covered only a small part of what was listed in an almanac; but would be a boon to such as required an almanac only for such limited studies. Lilith and Albert, whose potions required knowledge of the moon phases, voted it a neat piece of kit.

They checked it against the almanac they were using; found a discrepancy, and Lilith dashed over to Archie Trumball's to use the internet; whereupon she declared Jazka to be accurate and the almanac to be a day out.

They went into Hogsmeade to buy an Acme Almanac – which as Lilith said they should have done in the first place rather than use the official school one – and proceeded to write a scathing letter each to 'Arithmancer's Almanac' pointing out the mistake and complaining that this could have affected their NEWT results badly had they not checked another source and then two others. They sent a copy to the 'Times'.

Fortunately they had the time in hand as the 'Arithmancer's Almanac' was a day ahead of itself not behind; and they fell to, muttering darkly – in Lilith's case – about the perfidy of grownups.

When it came to David's ears he contacted Severus and Neville first and then also made a formal complaint to the publication; and sent a letter to the examinations board, explaining that although HIS students had been sufficiently on the ball to check that the almanac was correct, one might not expect as much from smaller out centres where perhaps less emphasis was placed on Arithmancy and that he felt that the said centres should be checked in case some students should be given credit for following what SHOULD have been accurate advice.

Warned by Lilith, Connie Hardbroom had made sure that none of the NEWT students were confused or befuddled by the incorrect data; Severus and Neville both used the Acme Almanac as a matter of course anyway because it was lighter reading. In addition to the perfectly accurate data and good general divination advice from the persons of Agnes Eagle – Annis Shipton-Adler and Gabriel Adler – there was the alternative horoscope containing such gems as 'anyone with indigo painted toenails should beware of being fallen on by flying teddy bears'.

Since their formal advice – which owed nothing to birthsigns and everything to the activities undertaken by the readers – was considered good and accurate, even those who took such things seriously tolerated the facetiae. This was common sense advice like 'I know the phase of moon is right to sow seeds but if you live north of the Humber there's going to be a late frost so don't sow until the next best moon phase even if you get a late crop'.

This sort of thing also tended to be followed up by such comments as 'I told you there was going to be a late frost so if you lost your seedlings don't blame me'.

Annis had an eighty nine per cent accuracy on weather prediction which was quite phenomenal; and being a Hogwarts student had five day periods marked up in the summer months with such things as 'the muggles ought to have played their test match here'.

Some of the predictions came from the artistic offerings of Callum Prince; Annis would poke a calendar under his nose and move his finger along until he started drawing furiously. The drawing was sometimes obscure, but with Gabriel's ability to use a plumb bob and a map it meant that the four who edited the Almanac, Cynthia Strong Prince being the arithmancer, could present with reasonable accuracy predictions like 'tsunami expected in Thailand' or 'volcanic eruption somewhere in Indian Ocean'.

Albert found this fascinating, and wondered whether a trained Geomantic Diviner might not predict things even more accurately.

It was something he decided to put in a bit more research on in his spare time while he was working in the Auror's office as a Finder would not be required all the time, and he might as well fiddle about with his divination globe if he could talk Callum into letting him have original drawings once the almanac was compiled; and if his results DID refine the area of accuracy, perhaps the Acme Almanac might like to use his services to add to their work.

Albert was a little shy of how to approach the publication; so Lilith told him she'd see to it as it was only cousin Callum and friends after all!

oOoOo

David's main task – apart from writing waspish letters – was to see that his examinations students did not overwork themselves in the holiday. Enforced days out on picnics with no schoolwork permitted nor the testing of each other may not have been popular at first, but when asked, the students admitted sheepishly afterwards that actually they felt much refreshed and had come to studying with greater facility after a day off. Fortunately many of the fifth were members of the Society Against Slavery and were susceptible to arguments that self imposed slavery could be as insidious as that imposed by others if not more so; and was equally bad for the soul.

Of course, Randall Corner was being stodgy about studying; it was in his humourless nature to take everything from perceived insult to schoolwork with a seriousness out of all proportion to the level required. And Ferdinand Belby was not taking his schoolwork seriously enough since he was still sulking about having been left off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team and was moaning more about that then the pressure of revision to anyone he thought he could force to listen. He complained to Rolanda Hooch – who told him that the matter of the teams were a matter for the house captains – and to Professor Flitwick who squeaked that in his opinion the Ravenclaw team had flown better without him for being a team; and he even wrote to Dunbar Oglethorpe as head of QUABBLE. Dunbar Oglethorpe saw to it that he had a quiet word with David when David was refereeing a match between Puddlemere United and the Wimborne Wasps half way through the holidays; David had taken team members and reserves who were studying for exams as a holiday treat and suggested that anyone else interested might like to watch it on the view screen in Wizarding Wireless Vision.

David pulled a face as he read the letter Mr Oglethorpe showed him.

"Oh dear" he said "It started with a silly pet one of the boys took over losing an unsanctioned duel; he told the first and second teams to cob anyone of the house in which his rival was, and this is one of two seniors who were backing him – for house pride. The original idiot has seen the error of his ways and apologised; in fact he's here, reinstated as far as reserve. The other two have NOT apologised and their team captain rightly – in my opinion – excluded them. Their substitute team isn't bad" he added. "Came overall second out of the houses. And in my opinion played better than the usual players. He IS a very good player; if you don't mind the fact that he can only spell the word 'team' without the 't' or the 'a'. He and the others already complained to me; I ticked them off royally. It's NOT my place to interfere; if I felt an injustice had been done for personal reasons, I'd have a quiet word with the captain of the relevant house team. Mr Belby has an inflated sense of his own worth and is always ready to make unfounded value judgements. Interesting that he tells you that I upheld the decision of the captain of his team to give what he says is my own house the chance of winning the shield – and names me as Slytherin. I'm Gryffindor as it happens; and my house came third."

"Well I shall have to write back" said Oglethorpe. "I'm glad my daughter isn't at Hogwarts to be hassled by him; I sent her to Prince Peak, partly, I have to say, initially to be taught by you, one of the paradigms of fair play; but mostly to be coached by Victor Krumm. She's better than I am as a player and deserves her chance to play professionally. I went the same route as you – referee. I expect like me you'll take the Rules Arbiter exam at some point too?"

"More than likely" said David "I'm nosy enough to want to sit on committees about rules change; and there'll be a few I expect, with the use of Wizarding Wireless Vision, and with ever faster brooms. I wondered if you were just going to be blunt enough to send him a red card."

Oglethorpe laughed.

"Tempting!" he said. "No I shall write to him explaining the laws of slander; because he has come close to slandering you here. I'll also point out that if he really wants to fight a slander suit, it usually helps to get your facts right and that perhaps he should find out what house gave rise to the Headmaster of Hogwarts before he makes foolish and, er, didactic statements."

"You've been talking to Severus" laughed David.

"He DOES teach my daughter" said Oglethorpe. "She also says he's hot on a broom; the staff have a team to help hone the first team I understand?"

"Yes; I used to play on it" said David "Fortunately Heather Burns Tuthill is a fair enough player, even if cricket is more her thing. Severus used to play seeker for Slytherin; it shows."

"Ah well; children either grow out of throwing hissy fits or end up getting sued by Lucius" said Oglethorpe. "Have a good game; don't worry about this silly boy!"

oOoOo

There were NO rules banning referees from jinxing the crowd so when the Wasp fans began their usual trick of buzzing to put off the indigo-robed Puddlemere players when taking the first penalty – five minutes into the game – David wandlessly and wordlessly dropped a _muffliatus _ spell on them. It irritated him.

The Wasps were not the most foul free of teams, relying on the tactics of their fans to offset the disadvantage of penalties; and they were in an ugly mood when penalties against them started to accrue.

David finally sent one of their beaters off for repeated cobbing and blatching; and told him severely that he should be thankful that he had better things to do than set naughty overgrown schoolboys lines or he'd be getting writer's cramp. It was an homage to the joking comment of Dennis Creevey.

The game was a bit quieter in terms of fouls from then on; largely because naughty Gorbrin shouted from the crowd,

"He may not jinx players but y'wanna bet he hasn't brought his cane?"

It was a nine hour match; and the days now long enough to be played all in one day, since as David was about to call light it was apparent that both seekers were on to something.

Puddlemere United's seeker caught the snitch right from under the Wasps' seeker's nose; and the Wasp player, in a nasty fit of temper, went for an all out Blag, catching the opponent's broom tail, with a twist while the Puddlemere Seeker was off balance. The snitch was already caught; it was pure revenge, and after dropping a levitation spell on the Puddlemere player to stop a possibly fatal fall from a great height, David called a ban on the Wasp seeker lasting three matches. The man could appeal to QUABBLE; but as Mr Oglethorpe had seen the foul quite clearly he was unlikely to get anywhere.

The Wasps went off with their sent-off beater and seeker issuing wild threats.

David laughed.

"I heard that sort of thing before – from Voldemort" he said, touching the zig-zag scar.

The Wasps fell suddenly silent, remembering just exactly WHO David Fraser was; that he was one of the Marked.

There was no more trouble.

oOoOo

Ferdinand Belby received his letter from Oglethorpe and read it with fury. Accusing HIM of slander! And what did Oglethorpe know of Professor Fraser's house? He was plainly a Slytherin, wasn't he said to be a ward of Severus Snape, that infuriating brat Lilith's father? However, one should perhaps check and prove one's facts.

Belby asked little Flitwick,

"Sir, did you teach Professor Fraser when he was at school?"

"Assuredly I did" squeaked Filius "NOT my most talented pupil in charms; it's transfigurational magic that is his bent. Charms was not one of his six NEWTs."

"Six? He has SIX NEWTs?" Belby was taken aback.

"Oh yes, Mr Belby; Professor Fraser is the most academic headmaster we have ever had; even Albus Dumbledore only had five NEWTs" said Flitwick "Though knowing Albus it was as much to prove the point that he COULD be an auror if he wanted to as anything" he murmured half to himself.

"He was in Slytherin House of course?" said Belby. Flitwick stared.

"Oh my dear boy, no! Whatever gave you that idea? David Fraser was a Gryffindor; a very typical Gryffindor if I may say so, deep in the thick of all the trouble we had fighting Voldemort; took out whole swathes of werewolves at the battle for Hogwarts when he was a fourth year. Very able; very inventive. Clever enough for a Ravenclaw of course; but the Hat knew where his heart lay. Whatever gave you the idea he was Slytherin?"

"I thought he was adopted by Professor Snape" said Belby.

"Ward; David always missed his parents too much to want full adoption" said Flitwick. "Yes he was; but so what? Even Severus' own children were distributed fairly evenly between Gryffindor and Slytherin Houses. It's why he tends to be a little harder on Gryffindors he catches at mischief; so as not to be guilty of favouritism. Not that David Fraser would ever let any partiality stand in the way of his duty. Even his love of quidditch would never let him reverse the detention another teacher set that excluded a team member from a match. Ah" said Flitwick, giving Belby a sudden shrewd glance. "Is this some daft idea of yours born out of your foolishly fevered brain over having been given due and – if I have heard the facts right – just punishment for advocating, or supporting the advocating, of, actually committing fouls for what you call house honour? If you believe that is house honour, my boy, I wish you were not in my house; because it is DIShonour and you are dishonourable; and a sad disappointment no doubt to your family which prides itself on honour and righteous behaviour. You have sided with a lad who has ADMITTED being in the wrong to speak out as he did; and yet you have not the courage nor the moral fibre to retract your own support of him; believe me you are NOT supporting your house by such actions but bringing it into disrepute; and I am ashamed of you."

Belby stared open mouthed.

"But – but if another house ridicules us we HAVE to punish them don't we?" he said.

"If another house ridicules us. Hmm" said Flitwick. "When, as I recall, the quarrel started because Mr Corner STARTED a fight he could not finish – a fight that was entirely contrary to the rules as a boy in your year had no business to be involved with – does that actually constitute his opponent's house ridiculing him when he was capable of doing that for himself? Does an individual member of a house ever necessarily constitute the whole of that house? If so, with the insults some of you have heaped on Hufflepuff, it should be up to Hufflepuff to punish Ravenclaw. They, however, manage to be a bit less childish than you and Miss Fawcett, Mr Belby. And I support fully the decision of my House's team Captain to prevent the House looking foolish by banning from the team those who would behave in the sort of over-excitedly violent way that has always been the reason behind the custom for leaving first and second years off the House team in the past. As the first and second years of my House proved themselves more capable of more grown up behaviour than the fifth and lower sixth years that I have, gloomily, to acknowledge, her decision was justified. I suggest, Mr Belby, you try to discover if you can act your age by the time you have finished your OWLs; and if you cannot, you will start finding that when you are out of the school's protective environment, as an adult, that there are consequences in the real world. Childish behaviour in a professional quidditch player gets him banned; as we saw happened to the seeker of the Wimborne Wasps on the Wizarding Wireless Vision screen. That's three weeks without pay; and a player who lets down their team by incurring bannings and sendings off too often finds themselves fired; without any pay. You do not come from a family that is wealthy enough, Mr Belby, to subsidise your tantrums. I suggest you learn a lesson from this. Do NOT consider attacking the headmaster, or me in any slander; the teams are none of our business. And if you attack Miss Patil, the school will back her and finance any quaestor she chooses to hire. And should you attack her in any childish way like pranks or sabotage of work, you will very probably find yourself expelled; and possibly subject to a law suit if you jeopardise her exams."

"SHE'S Jeopardised MY exams!" cried Belby "SHE ought to be punished!"

"Excuse me?" said Flitwick "She has then stopped you from studying? Attacked your work? In what fashion pray?"

"Because all I can think of is that she's dropped me from the team! It's mental torture!" said Belby.

"Mr Belby" said Flitwick "For a moment there I wondered if you were going to make a serious accusation; whether Miss Patil taunted you constantly or tried to make you fail at other subjects than quidditch. But such flippant statements show me that you are having a laugh! Quidditch is NOT part of schoolwork; all children are taught basic broom skills and are encouraged to play quidditch or some other game for fitness sake. Some voluntarily now may study for a quidditch OWL to be examined from next year. But thinking about a voluntary subject to the exclusion of your proper lessons is down to YOU and you alone; to accuse Miss Patil of interfering with your work to cover your own laziness and incompetence and dishonour does you even more discredit. And to bring up such a facetious accusation is loathsome; and I will be reflecting my feelings in the end of year report I send to your parents. Get out of my sight; you are disgusting."

Belby got, feeling rather bruised. He had tried to do his best for his house, hadn't he? But Professor Flitwick did not think it was best; it was all very confusing! The Head was against him too; and Red-Card Rolanda; and even the head of QUABBLE. Could he possibly have acted incorrectly? It seemed inconceivable but could they all really be motivated by spite against him? Surely not! Well he would go by Mr Oglethorpe's decision as he had never met the man so he at least ought to be impartial; unless Professor Fraser had unduly influenced him. But if he could be influenced they would not have chosen him to head QUABBLE. Perhaps he had not acted in the best fashion after all.

Belby had much to ponder!


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Lilith had time off her revision – fortunately being able to fit it around her brewing of Veritaserum – to be a bridesmaid to her cousin Albertine Gregg.

All the plotting she and Sextus had been doing paid off; and Albertine was marrying Ashley Pencastle, Sextus' father and combining their muggle and magical secondhand junk businesses. Mr Pencastle had learned to be fascinated by the wizarding world; and Albertine was delighted with so gentlemanly a business partner – that side having come about before the romance took off – and did not mind him being a muggle. As she said, she knew scarcely any more magic than a muggle for having been brought up without a magical education.

"Am I going to have any siblings?" demanded Sextus.

Albertine blushed.

"We would like children; assuming that doesn't offend you" she said. Lilith and Sextus were well known visitors to her stall, as well as Lilith being her cousin; and Albertine was fond enough of the self contained little boy who hid in an armour of supercilious distain so similar to cousin Severus that it was apparent to Albertine that he hardly stood a chance when Lilith grew up.

"I think it would be cool" said Sextus.

"Well young man, we were going to use some of Albertine's brother Pete's excellent potions for a while to actually enjoy being married before we started a family" said his father "we thought we'd give ourselves the year round before trying for a baby."

Sextus grinned.

"Sounds okay to me" he said "Reckon babies COULD be a bit of a distraction."

"Meh" said Lilith "reckon if they get too irritating you can stick 'em on the stall" and she winked.

Severus, who was attending the wedding to give Albertine away, cuffed her.

"I do like babies" said Albertine "But I didn't want to rear a baby without a husband; I know how hard ma had it. And I never actually hoped to find anyone who was as good as Ashley, who doesn't mind me being part goblin and illegitimate."

"Anyone who minded should have their block knocked off" said Ashley.

"I am in complete agreement with you, my dear fellow" said Severus. "My cousin is a lovely woman; and though it's a quiet family wedding, it's not everyone who gets married out of Malfoy Manor so there's the seal of approval of society on the wedding. Well the society who counts" he added.

Narcissa loved weddings and Lucius had been more than happy to let his friend, and now brother, Severus launch his cousin from Malfoy Manor. It had too swayed Sextus' mother, who had been chary about letting her son attend his father's wedding; which as Sextus told her was dog in the manger if you liked, and he was jolly well going anyway and if she did not give him her blessing he might just choose to stay with his dad and stepmother.

As the law was more likely to give custody of a minor to a married couple, Madam Scarpin bit her tongue and gave her son permission to attend the wedding. And asked exactly what this new bride of Ashley's was like, failing to refrain from giving an angry titter and suggesting that she was doubtless some over-made up very young muggle girl.

Sextus was angry with his mother; he loved her dearly but she had done a lot to actually spoil his relationship with his father.

"Albertine is a cousin of Severus Snape and Severin Prince of the Council" he had said coldly "A somewhat impoverished branch of the family by comparison but they'll be getting married at Malfoy Manor and my friend Lilith is going to be a bridesmaid. And Albertine is quite old, like you and dad" he added with all the tact of a thirteen year old boy.

He reflected on the conversation as he acted as page boy to Albertine, something he had agreed to on the rebound of his irritation towards his mother. It was a good job that mum didn't know that Albertine was part goblin, or she'd have stopped him coming for sure; but unless you knew a lot of goblins well it was not apparent in her face, so even if mum saw pictures in the paper – there would be a shot in the Times in the Hatch, match and despatch pages – she wouldn't realise and stop him staying with dad and Albertine. Madam Scarpin was no social climber but she had enough snobbery to encourage a friendship with anyone related to a council member. And Lilith was related to more than one; and that Albertine could claim cousinship with one too would give him the lever to visit and to get to know his siblings properly. Mum could be a dear but she could be VERY difficult over dad!

oOoOo

The return to school was uneventful apart from the whining of Xanthia Fawcett about how everyone was conspiring against her.

Xanthia had actually gone to the Ministry of Education to complain about her unfair treatment; but even Timothy Gregory, who would have loved a chance to put one over David Fraser, had to admit that reinstating a dropped member of a quidditch team was nothing to do with the Headmaster, but the decision of the captain.

He had seen Xanthia as a fellow Ravenclaw with a complaint against the Head; and had listened to her story in growing horror. He was pompous, self opinionated and inclined to take offence easily; but Gregory was a man of honour at base – he had not seen sneaking into Hogwarts to catch out possible malfeasance as dishonourable, merely as a distasteful necessity - and reading between the lines, the story he heard was one of petty vindictiveness and spite with an intent to use the beautiful game as a medium for that spite. Gregory had played for his House in his time; and the odd jostling of rivals was something he understood well enough, but the wholesale encouragement of out-and-out fouling even suggesting it to babes in the lower school was iniquitous. Fraser had acted perfectly correctly in refusing to intervene; and judging by what the awful girl was saying in setting lines for her for rudeness too.

Gregory wished HE could set lines for rudeness.

He told her off sharply for wasting Ministry time on trivialities and sent her on her way; and opened a Floo communication to David.

David greeted him politely; he was not about to have anything to be used against him.

"You and I don't always see eye to eye, Fraser, but I think we both have the good of the school at heart" said Gregory pompously "And I think you may have a problem."

"Oh?" said David. "I agree that we both live for the good of the school but what problem has come to your notice?"

"A girl called Xanthia Fawcett made a complaint that you'd failed to reinstate her on her house team – a piece of cheek to even ask as it's none of your business – and from what I understand it's all over spite and incitement to cheat."

David groaned.

"What, is the silly child trying to involve the ministry in that storm in a cauldron? Even the original protagonists have shaken hands and cautiously apologised to each other! She's off the team – as I understand it – for refusing to back down after backing the original angry youth who made certain suggestions in a heated state; the excuse is House Honour. And as a Ravenclaw I doubt YOU'D like that brand of loyalty."

"Quite" said Gregory. "Only you see her as a silly child; I saw her as – at first – a very charming, charismatic and winning young woman. Until she lost her temper with me for pointing out that you had acted correctly. Then she was a rude little spitfire, and frankly I wished I could have given her an, er, inordinate amount of lines over the rudeness she designated as 'nothing'. With her beauty, charisma and the charm she CAN exert, can anyone of our era fail to worry about a female Voldemort?"

"Hmm, I see what you mean; thanks Gregory" said David "I can't say she's ever attempted to exert much charm at me – well not so's you'd notice. She tried being flirty to get her own way, which put my back up to start off with; I don't find that sort of behaviour charming. Besides, I'd heard of her in advance; from relatives and from Albus, who ran through his suggestions for prefects with me, and whose advice I took, including over why some supposedly and on paper model students had been passed over. She's from a poorish background with a lot of excessive pride; she's clever; I suppose she's fairly pretty; and she's been used to being a sports hero. I shall watch her like a hawk. She's fallen victim to more than one wind up by Marauders as I understand; the sort they specialise in that only the pompous asses who go out of their way to seek hubris fall into. DO you recall the great Were Knarl scandal?"

Gregory actually laughed. He, after all, had never been targeted over that.

"There had been such a to-do over Myrtle that Slytherin boy made; he deserved it. I mean, it was dreadfully irregular to return a ghost to life, but I think most of us didn't want to believe it because it meant accepting the level of POWER some of you wield; that's why the ministry is afraid of you, Fraser. Wintringham used me because he knows you and I don't get on because I think you rather slapdash."

"Slapdash? I always thought myself excessively cautious, at least compared with Harry" said David. "Whatever I may be, it killed werewolves, which was what was required at the time. I guess those of us who were involved developed this cocky insouciance to convince ourselves we weren't scared. Maybe that's where your perception of slapdash comes from."

"Maybe. Well if she's the sort to get caught out in that sort of thing… what did they do?"

"It being the tenth anniversary of Voldemort's death, they faked up a Parseltongue document that COULD be translated with the passage from Herpo, and set up a place with a secret book that there were clues to find; covered with a muggle synthetic material to feel horrible enough to suggest human skin, with a load of nonsense written in it in a code they invented without actually even bothering to make a meaning. And enchanted to have 'April Fool' come up on all the pages on the first of April. Albus told me all about it; and nearly killed himself laughing over it. Anyone who did not bring a letter they believed to be from Tom Riddle to a member of staff deserves to be caught."

Gregory nodded.

"I agree. Hubris; the desire to know something others don't. Has she got followers or has she alienated the others in her house?"

"Fortunately we've a decent bunch of kiddies who are disgusted that a girl who's just about grown up can act like that" said David "No she has no disciples; and I'll see to keeping it that way – including her twin sisters who come in next September. I'm obliged to you Gregory."

"You're welcome" the ministry man nodded politely. Fraser was at least fair when it counted.

oOoOo

Xanthia's outbursts on the train meanwhile led to an impromptu song from the Stripy Marauders.

"_I fawcett here, I fawcett there_

_I fawcett right and left_

_And when I get caught out at it_

_I'm forced to feel bereft_

_I fawcett now, I fawcett then_

_I fawcett with a cheat_

_I try to fawcett down each throat _

_That I'm a silly giit!"_

Xanthia naturally tried stinging hexes on anyone singing this song and consequently completed the journey boneless, with bats pouring out of her nose, farting uncontrollable blues music and with 'git' 'bully' and 'cheat' adorning her forehead and cheeks in zits.

Lilith, discontented with the effect, added a counterpoint to the blues farting to take the place of the bats from Xanthia's nose; and Bella and co told Xanthia it jolly well served her right for acting like a particularly unpleasant specimen of a more than usually childish first year.

They took off every curse but the zits when the train pulled in, merely cancelling the ongoing effect of the pustules that would disappear and fade over about three weeks on their own.

As Bella said, it was fair comment. And if Xanthia was so fond of herself and her own abilities, well she could get rid of them herself, couldn't she, the work of third years should be dead easy for any sixthformer to deal with, even a Ravenclaw.

That Lilith and her friends were far more able than the majority of the sixth was neither here nor there.

The third years sang Xanthia off the train with the refrain,

"_Xanthia, Xanthia,_

_dirty as Merlin's pants thee are_

_ugly as coelacanth thee are_

_Xanthi-anthia"_

Bella cuffed any one of them she could reach on general principles because the platform MIGHT be accessed by outsiders from Hogsmeade.

oOoOo

David had all the Ravenclaw prefects to tea; and Gorbrin too, whom he asked to take a background role.

Having prefects to tea was an established custom; it did not look untoward, so the fact that he had serious business might be concealed from the rest of the school.

"I think I know the background of the storm in a cauldron surrounding the rearrangement of your quidditch team" said David "Which arrangement is none of my business; except inasfaras the arrangement causes trouble of another kind in school. May I say, by the way, that I applaud your bold decision, Sampta, and your firm moral stance. It's an example to all captains and indeed to the whole house and school."

"Thank you sir; I felt I had little choice" said Sampta "And to tell the truth I was angry; I didn't want my house dragged down by misguided so-called loyalty."

"Quite so" said David. "Admirable! I agree you had no choice; but a weaker character may have backed down before the expostulations of long established team members. You have become an adult over this affair; and I have nothing but praise for you in it. Such quiet dignity and stern stance will stand you in good stead in your career teaching. And my congratulations too to the whole prefecthood of Ravenclaw who have supported you and have not been swayed by the foolishness of any of the three initially involved. Though Randall rapidly discovered the error of his ways, as I understand, and I have been told by Professor Flitwick that he believes that Ferdinand has also come to understand that his behaviour has been unreasonable. It is Xanthia Fawcett of whom I wish to speak to you all; because she is plainly a much troubled girl and it is the responsibility of her contemporaries to do what they can for her."

"What, undo her from the jinxes the third dropped on her for being violent over them singing songs about her whining?" said Ming.

David sighed.

"It is hard to accept that a girl who is turned seventeen can still be quite so childish" he said. "For your ears only – though somehow I suspect Xanthia will manage to speak of her own foolishness – she actually went to the ministry to complain that I had not forced her reinstatement on the team."

"Crumbs sir, is she dippy?" asked Pearl.

David gave a thin smile.

"I believe that Xanthia is a girl for whom the world is supposed to revolve around Xanthia" he said "And when things go contrary to her plan it is obviously that everyone else is conspiring against her. I do not believe that she can perceive the desires and aspirations of others as important, or even maybe real in her own world view."

"What the headmaster just said was" said Ming, in sudden revelation "That Xanthia is like Tom Marvolo Riddle, for whom all other people were as puppets to gratify his whims. Am I correct sir?"

"It is possible, yes" said David. "Hence, as her housemates and prefects I call upon you all to watch Xanthia and try – if possible – to break through to her better self."

"If she has one" interposed Venilia.

"If she has one" agreed David "I hesitate to ask such a question of any child in my care. I am told that Xanthia can be charming; another point of similarity with Tom Riddle. She must not be permitted to use this to gain ascendancy over any younger children; and as far as possible I charge all of you to keep an eye on her as much as you might, even after she and you have left school. I may too share this possibility with the marauders of the school whose task is to fight dark wizards; but I should very much prefer that a potential dark witch have that tendency nipped in the bud before it develops. Prevention is so much better than cure."

"She's as nice as pie when she gets her own way" said Avice dryly. "Mind you, we all know what THAT defines."

"A bully; quite" said David. "I cannot think that her home life is very pleasant if she is so unpleasant; and I charge you, Wendy, and you, Mesmadora, with keeping an eye out for her twin sisters when they start next year, as you'll then be in the lower sixth and under less pressure."

"We can do that" said Wendy. "And ask the rest of the SAS to keep an eye out too."

"Good" said David. "I should like to find out if there's a miserable uncertain child inside Xanthia that makes her act so haughtily and unpleasantly on the outside; I believe in second chances, no Sampta, that was NOT a request to reinstate her. Only if she apologises to you for rudeness and for the initial offence should you even consider it. As you should not reinstate Ferdinand unless he manages an apology."

"He managed a roundaboutation that might almost be an apology so I said we should see how it went for next year" said Sampta "He's that pompous I don't think he can actually even spell apology, not like normal people do. I went for the spirit of his ramblings, not the words."

"Well done" said David. "Some people, alas, cannot ever admit that they were in the wrong; they feel it makes them lose face. I trust you young people will always remember that to admit to a fault demonstrates a greatness of character and that those who cannot manage to admit to a fault are generally despised and disliked as self-opinionated hypocrites. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with Ferdinand's morals; that is the main issue. But Xanthia needs help; and I do not even know if she can be helped."

"To help someone they need to realise that they need it" said Ming. "It's why Riddle couldn't be helped; he was too convinced not only that he needed no help but that he was in some way superior to all the others. Xanthia IS the same; she's always saying that people might despise her poverty but one day they'll wish they'd been more polite when her true genius is revealed. Which as she's at best half baked at a lot of subjects is a laugh."

"She may be half baked by YOUR standards, Chang, but she IS considered a good scholar" said Peter Hitchens. "You tend to forget that your abilities are on something of another plain. And don't get me wrong, I'd RATHER you forgot that your abilities are on another plain because you're not stuck up about your high achieving abilities."

Ming shrugged.

"I measure myself next to Gorbrin, who's my best friend" he said, nodding to Gorbrin. "Anyway, brains aren't everything; I could be taking a dozen NEWTs but if I was a shit, I'd still be a shit. Er, sorry sir" he apologised to David. David smiled.

"Oh with my prefects I don't stand much on ceremony" he said. "I take your point. Mind you a student who is taking eight NEWTs might have managed a little more of the rich English tongue than some of its more direct Anglo-Saxon words."

Ming grinned.

"Sometimes the coarse and direct is more expressive" he said. "Xanthia picks on those she can put down; and exerts her winning charm on those she thinks it worth sucking up to. She has tried to do so with Erica Malfoy; unfortunately for her, in her first year she already hacked Erica off by showing what she thought of her brother, now our esteemed head boy; and having made up her mind that he was to be ignored, at least she has the self honesty to continue ignoring him."

Gorbrin gave a wintry smile.

"I fancy that she realises that charm isn't actually going to get her anywhere; besides, I think she's hoping I might die in a dangerous career as an auror, in which case any sucking up would have been a waste of her most valuable time."

"Miaow" said Venilia "But alas a justified miaow."

"She has an inflated idea of her abilities – and her charm" said Jack "I think she's genuinely surprised that those of us on the team didn't leap to her defence against Sampta. I don't like the girl; never have. I was a toerag when I started school; and I was fortunate enough to have been well squashed and to get over it. I think the problem is that we have had three toerags of the first water in our year and house – me, Amos Leroy, and Xanthia Fawcett. I got over it. Leroy committed the ultimate sin of trashing Pearl's timer thingy and got expelled; and Xanthia was the least of the three evils in the class for being less loud than we boys, perhaps."

"I don't know; she can screech for England" said Avice "And I recall before Leroy arrived late that the year was divided in our house between you and her as the quidditch aces."

"Which as Fawcett isn't a patch on Patil is a bit much" said Jack "It was Sampta's rivalry I feared, not the loud mouthed ninny. Quidditch has lost a fine player if you're going into teaching, Sammy; you won't stop playing, will you?"

"I'll probably be teaching that as well" said Sampta "It's a new school I'll be helping to set up; it's very exciting. I thought I might take the OWL in quidditch beside my NEWTs and then take referee's exams. But you have something, Jack; you were a threat to be sat on because you had family as well as talent to cite; Leroy was a Boy Wonder poor brat; and Xanthia was loud without actually having a whole lot to be loud about. So it's festered and made her worse because nobody ever troubled to squash her thoroughly. Mind you, the Stripy marauders managed to squash me over the Riddle riddle jape and Xanthia was involved in that too. Pushed in on my overweening pride actually" she added.

"Which proves I guess that you're a basically decent person to recognise that you were making a fool of yourself over being jealous of Lilith and showed you had cast iron ones to turn yourself around" said Gorbrin. "No offence intended with the male oriented compliment."

"None taken; and thanks for it" said Sampta. "Jealousy's really very uncomfortable to live with; you hate yourself as much as the object of your jealousy. And if you ask me, deep down, Xanthia is loud and proud because she's jealous; but she hasn't realised it. Her family are dirt poor – well, for a Hogwarts family – and she isn't as clever as she thought she was when she started school; and there are people who are prettier than her. Pearl, Erica, Bella, Mimi, Chrysogon Rufus, though I expect he'd jinx me into a ball for including him in that list; any number of people. And those two striking girls in Hufflepuff who have nobody home inside their pretty shells. Sorry, yes that was a miaow. But the thing is, there are people who surpass Xanthia in every field although she's all round pretty academic and a good quidditch player, very pretty and graceful. And she HATED Lydia Snape especially with the ice ball because suddenly all that grace becomes a tangle of sliding limbs and Lydia – who's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen by the way – has all that beauty and grace on the ice that even dancing with Nick de Mimsy-Porpington can't dispel. Only to admit to jealousy you have to admit that there's something to be jealous of; which means admitting to less than perfection in yourself. And as someone who's been through that on the inside it's HARD. Because you have only your pride left and that pride won't let you back down. And you have to admit it to yourself before you can escape from it and break the cycle. We need to watch out whether Xanthia starts trying to put down the two girls who came from the free school – either one of whom is prettier than she is – because they're poorer than her and have a more irregular background. Just the sort for her to work on."

David nodded.

"Well I trust you'll manage to keep your eyes peeled for such trouble" he said.

"We'll sick the whole onto Erica and the Belle Marauders; Storm and Zephyra are Slytherin so Bella is an adequate watchdog" said Sampta "I know it's going out of house; but frankly if she IS a potential Voldemorta then that's the business of all houses."

"I agree" said Ming "And as head of Ravenclaw I hope my opinion carries weight as much as the person on whom the responsibility for sorting out the storm in a cauldron devolved."

There were murmurs of assent, some a little grudging; but with the Riddle riddle jape, even those who had not been involved felt deeply the fact that the misplaced personal and house pride had made the fall of hubris greater for those who HAD been involved. Ravenclaw house had NOT covered itself in glory in the last few years; and perhaps a willingness to co-operate might help to erase that fact from memories.

The Ravenclaw prefects left their tea party rather soberly.

They had quickly seen the implications of the parallels between Xanthia Fawcett and Tom Riddle; and were aware of their responsibilities to try to prevent the rise of such a would-be dictator again. Though at least the Headmaster had pointed out that the advantage here was that Xanthia had not learned to hide her feelings, and did not, therefore exert a fatal charm on the whole house; and was not even a prefect.

Only with influence could she put together a following; with sycophants to hang on every word and encourage the use of any and all means to rise. And perhaps this had already averted it happening; or perhaps it had at least delayed any descent into the dark arts that might await Xanthia. And perhaps even she might be shown how to be happy without jealousy.

And Sampta for one doubted the more optimistic outcome; because she suspected that Xanthia could never accept that she WAS jealous.

oOoOo

During the tea party, Xanthia had managed to spread around the rest of Ravenclaw house the concept of a conspiracy of all those who bore the zig-zag scar who had magnified the evils of Voldemort for their own purposes to use it to take power from an elected ministry to keep the poor in their place and perpetuate an evil pure blood aristocracy and that the Headmaster was, as might be seen, a part of this, and the ministry of education merely his puppets who jumped to his command.

"WHAT a lot of crap you talk, Fawcett" sneered Sextus. "David Fraser, supporting the highborn and rich of the wizarding world? Hmm, the penniless muggleborn orphan who was dependant on charity to come to Hogwarts school,, and who has made money by having good ideas to improve our society that have also made him money – like the Wizarding Whirligig taxi company. He's indefatigable and clever; concepts you can't even SPELL let alone emulate. They reduced the power of the ministry because it did NOTHING against Voldemort; and if you dare belittle the losses to those families murdered by him and his deatheaters, those sent insane by the repeated use of the cruciatus curse then you so are sounding like a deatheater yourself. Didn't you READ what they did to Bella Black first time round? And that's bowdlerised I bet because schoolchildren got to read it; and she's seen the actual memories of her old self in the Pensieve so she jolly well DOES know what she's talking about. Calling Flitters a liar are you? I'm sure he'd be delighted to know you think he's conspiring against you. The only conspiracy around here is you conspiring with your grubby self because nobody else likes you to defame the characters of others. And I'd watch it if I were you; there are laws against nasty liars like you."

"It's no lie! You've been deluded by the lies of that Snape girl, who's part of the rich and pure blooded!" said Xanthia.

"Wrong" said Sextus "When her parents got together, neither of them had a bean to rub together; her dad was paying off his muggle father's debts and her mother was raised in a muggle orphanage with no idea of her half Malfoy blood because none of the Malfoys knew about her either. Lucius made amends later; and Krait Malfoy Snape managed to increase the inheritance she got from her muggle ancestors by HARD WORK and CLEVERNESS. Like adapting the muggle gramophone for us to use in the wizarding world; and the muggle sewing machine likewise. Severus Snape is a great man; he took on the care of four orphans when he was poor and was ready to go without for their needs. Harry Potter had an awful home life with his rotten aunt and uncle. Sirius Black – yeah, he's pure blooded and rich, but he might as well not have been when he was fitted up for a murder he didn't do and still risked everything to try to help his godson! The Longbottoms – cured only by some secret ritual from having lost their minds to torture. Lucius Malfoy – pure blooded and rich and well mind-raped by Voldemort, stood torture and mental cruelty as Snape did in order to bring Voldemort down. These are the sort of people who formed the new government, those who had SUFFERED from Voldemort and his cronies; these are the people you accuse of conspiracy? The ones who restored rights to the muggleborn? The ones who gave rights to goblins? Oh yeah, and what's pure bred about the goblins in the council? You're so busy trying to make out that important people who've never heard of you and don't actually give a toss about you have some kind of a hate campaign going against you that you show yourself as enough of a drip to make the people who DO know you want to run a hate campaign against you! Do us all a favour and dry up and try to act like a seven year old not a four year old; I know that still drops ten years off your age but I guess you can't manage to act in double figures at all."

Xanthia went to slap Sextus who used Kung Fu to elude and give her a slap down as she lost her balance.

"Don't try to bully me" said Sextus "I'm harder than you physically as well as magically and intellectually; oh and wait, I'm probably even better looking than you too because you're already getting lines because of all the face pulling and frowning you do. Crumbs, yes; hideous!" As Xanthia glowered at him while she was getting up "Yeah, even PEEVES is better looking than you when you do that; hag children would cower from you in terror at such an ugly visage; actually our hagling is several times better looking than you because she smiles; Griselda, sorry to insult you by comparing this to hags."

"Oh there are ugly hags" said Griselda Greenteeth. "Only they can't help it. Fawcett should be able to help it because she has a good bonework, just such awful expressions."

Sextus tripped Xanthia as she went to slap Griselda.

"Bullying a first year? Tut" he said. "that pustule message isn't enough" and suddenly Xanthia found that every step she took had her feet shouting 'Bully! Bully!'

She fled; the Scarpin boy was intolerable!


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

The collective marauders put their heads together to come up with a concert that they advertised as a revision concert; since the lyrics of all the songs were to help people revise and might actually be of some interest to other oiks too, as Lilith said.

They had songs like,

"_Three laws has Golapott_

_I like him an awful lot_

_Three laws has Golapott_

_To stir your potion in its pot._

_**The first law of Golapott**_

_**To brew an antidote**_

_**Must have at least as much stuff in**_

_**As poison down your throat**_

_chorus___

_**The second law's for potions **_

_**That strengthen over time**_

_**The dose is exponential**_

_**To counteract the crime**_

_chorus_

_**The third law is for blended ones**_

_**The antidote will need**_

_**More than the sum of antidotes**_

_**For each dose there indeed"**_

This covered revision up to NEWT where knowledge of Golapott's third law was required; the rest was handy for OWL students.

They also did the odd parody such as,

"_There's a conjurer in my attic and he's starting to smell_

_there's a conjurer in my attic and he's writing laws as well_

_each time I come in the door _

_Law exceptions on the floor_

_Oh how Gamp does make me snore, the conjurer in my attic!"_

This song went on to talk about each of Gamp's five exceptions to his law of elemental conjuration; and if the laughter of the NEWT level transfigurationists was a trifle rueful they swore it would help them remember a bit better.

Except Xanthia Fawcett who had hysterics and claimed that the Marauders were all in a plot to try to confuse her.

Having Sextus break off singing to say 'it doesn't take much' did NOT help and Xanthia had to be taken to the sick bay and fed glumbumble juice.

It was as well that Xanthia did NOT here the next song covering simple questions in the care of magical beasts; one verse ran,

"_To find the knarls with hedgehogs _

_offer milk and bread,_

_like Fawcett they're suspicious_

_and think you wish them dead._

Which, as Professor Flitwick commented to David, would have been funny if it had not been so sadly and massively true in that the girl really DID believe she was being persecuted.

Geomancy involved a parody of an old muggle song that Lilith had dredged up.

"_By the ley lines of Birmingham_

_where I sat down_

_I felt the pull _

_Like a magnet to iron_

_I went with the flow_

_Followed ley lines that I know_

_To the next node I could find_

_On the right."_

The Ancient Runes people complained that their subject was sadly neglected since the best they got was Lilith Snape dressed in Odessa robes rather than those of the Hitler Jugend, singing 'Tomorrow belongs to me' in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Assyro-Babylonian.

The concert finished up in grand style with 'My Old Man's a De-Splincher' just because; and was voted a great success having managed to list almost all the major laws used in the most common subjects and the core subjects for OWL level; and if anyone was hazy about who such people as Madam Wenlock, Golapott or Gamp were, they had no business to be any more, as Bella said.

oOoOo

David congratulated the singers for their singing and for their ingenuity with the lyrics.

"It's what they pay Chrys to be a Lockhart for sir" said Bella cheerfully "Those of us with higher knowledge fed him the rules and he churned out the lyrics."

"Yes, I know more about Gamp than I ever wanted to" laughed Chrys "Though I'm not the only contributor to the lyrics by a long chalk!"

"Lots of us wrote odd lines but Chrys pulled it all together and incorporated it into a cohesive whole; or possibly an unholy concatenation" said Lilith.

"I thought it was all very well done" said David warmly "And I hope that it means that more people will remember their various laws; PLEASE try to refrain from, er, any refrain during exams!"

There was much laughter and the school went off about its lawful occasions in good spirits, and the NEWT transfigurationists singing,

"_Summoning magic items just can't be done_

_Summoning magic items backfires like fun_

_Summoning magic doesn't work_

_it's no way that you can shirk_

_if you do you'll look a berk_

_summoning magic items."_

"And as good a way of remembering Gamp and his ruddy exceptions as any" said Erica "I've always been weak on that; I don't think any of us have an excuse to drop points on that. The exam board is going to think we've all turned into geniuses or something."

"Well I think 'or something'!" laughed Gorbrin. "Good; it'll make Professor Fraser look particularly good. And that ought to settle the hash of anyone who's still moaning in the ministry about him being very young and muggle born. Dad always counters any complaints HE hears by asking how many NEWTs the complainant has" he explained to others of their group.

"And having two of us taking eight is NOT going to look bad either" said Ming "Though it's nothing to do with either Professor Fraser OR Professor Dumbledore but that we're gluttons for punishment."

Gorbrin shrugged.

"But a seed won't grow if not nurtured in good soil. We have been fortunate to be well nurtured with good heads of the school. Which will continue under David Fraser. But since when has politics ever had anything to do with logic anyhow? You're right; high averages in numbers of exams passed will look good, and it helps settle some murmurs. Especially as there are several Marauder groups coming up to KEEP the averages high. Well, our grades ought to be helped by all THAT baloney."

oOoOo

The lower school and lower sixth of course would continue to have lessons all term, and would have to keep quiet near the great hall during exams.

"I wonder what the examiners are going to make of the fish" murmured Gorbrin.

"Supper" suggested Ming.

"Idiot" said Meliandra "They're stuffed with kaypok. Oh dry up" as Dick informed her that her hair was mussed and Gorbrin's tie was awry. The school had mostly got used to the personal remarks of Tom, Dick and Harry; they were just one more phenomenon of magical denizens to be endured like Peeves.

"Those kids are remarkably sophisticated" said Jazka "Talking faces; it's surely NEWT level in enchantment as well as transfiguration?"

"Library work" said Ming "My cousin Jingjie is convinced school libraries only exist for researching japes; the idea of using them for homework was quite a revelation to him."

"Marauders" said Gorbrin. "Gotta love them."

"Yeah" said Ming "Or they'll make you an apple pie bed."

oOoOo

Lucius turned up for the Chanting exam first and made an announcement at breakfast.

"Those people who attended the big Yule Chant are exempted from the practical having already demonstrated more than ably your ability; this includes those who were NOT primaries since the primaries performed to well above NEWT level. Those people are…. Actually everyone I have down on my list" he added "Since Professor Snape co-opted the lot of you. And as I was there I know the level of involvement and I'm perfectly satisfied to grade everyone highly."

Gorbrin raised a hand.

"Some of us were less involved than others" he said.

"You chanted for four hours in a backup role; as did all those who were involved in the peripheral part" said Lucius "I conferred with Durmstrang's chanting master on this, and Professor Snape and Madam Marchbanks. You have all been graded by the primary or secondary who was with you. If you really WISH to go through a chant, I doubt any of you will score much higher than you have already been credited for your excellent work. I'm here to invigilate the written only unless anyone objects to their big chant being taken as a practical. Incidentally those of you in the Lower Sixth have equally been marked to substitute the Yule Chant for YOUR practical next year."

"You were as involved as anyone, you and Jazka and Mimi, in setting it up" murmured Ming to Gorbrin. "And you understand the finicky bits of it and how to design and twist something like it. That's what he's examining. And I bet he has Madam Marchbanks mark the written because he won't want to be accused of partiality."

"You're quite right, Mr Chang, I shall NOT be marking my son's written work in either of the exams I usually mark" said Lucius, who had ears like a cat's. "No room for anyone to say that I might mark my own family higher. Even though I'd actually mark him harder for expecting more of him. Even as the exam papers in these subjects have been chosen by the exam board from past papers or alternative putative questions I have written, so although I have set the questions, I have myself got no idea which of the questions I have set are to be on the papers of Chanting or Ancient Runes."

"Nobody really believes for an instant you would be anything but hard on Gorbrin or any of your children" said David "But for your protection and his I am glad to have this point made clear. Very well school; disperse to where you are supposed to be, which in the case of NEWT level chanters is back here in minutes ten. You must have a midnight picnic in New Zealand after the exams, Lucius" he added as chairs scraped noisily.

oOoOo

Lilith wrote happily of various chants that had found their way even into muggle lore of various cultures of such chants as were supposed to aid knitting bone; muggles, not unnaturally, used them daily in their primitive cultures since they did not work straight away as of course they would for any magically active chanter. She was slightly sidetracked in citing how muggles even repeated meaningless words that had become corrupted from earlier languages such as those quoted by Cato the Elder; and discussed the likelihood that of all the chants from the Hittite 'hastai-kan, hastai handan' meaning 'bone be attached to bone' through Old High German 'ben zi bena, bluot zi bluoda, lid zi geliden', bone to bone, blood to blood, limb to limb'; Cato's probable corruptions of Etruscan chants, through to a mention of similar chants in Sanskrit, all the jangling and repetitive chants were probably as effective as each other so long as the chanter was comfortable with them and there was a good reason of Assimilative Correlation to choose any one language over another; and added that personally she felt that the Irish 'Ault fri halt di, féith fri féth' of 'joint to joint, sinew to sinew' was probably the most effective to any transfigurationist since the Irish Gaelic language changed through lenition and therefore already held some aspects of transfiguration in the very language.

She also designed curse breaking chants and involved far more Arithmancy and Ancient Runes than were strictly necessary and wandered into post NEWT discussion on the use of dithyrambic poetry being wild and joyous to break a curse as likely to work even against a chant-set curse, whereas any specifically designed chant must oppose the metrical form of the original chant.

Gorbrin was equally happy; he was well grounded in the common chants, some of them being included in Severus Snape's book 'One hundred and one simple chants and rhythms and their meanings'. Dredging them up to compare and discuss their survival through muggle lore was an interesting question to answer, and to account for the similarities in meanings across many cultures suggested either similar ideas in chanting, or the spread of magic by a common source; neither of which was provable. The repetitive nature of the chants was classic; and might as easily have been designed by more than one culture who knew the value of chanting; or might as easily have been transmitted by wizards who just translated into the local language, picking suitably harmonious combinations.

And as for the curse breaking questions, like Lilith he included more than sufficient Arithmancy and Ancient Runes.

oOoOo

Lucius picnicked happily in New Zealand and returned to examine, with his secondary examiner, the OWL level chanters; which included his daughter Zajala, hence requiring a second opinion. This was a standard hour long chant; the OWL students would take their written exam in amongst their other papers, but the practicals required an expert and Lucius had more than one school to visit to examine. Including Durmstrang. The circle this year excluded sharks.

Since the majority of the SAS were taking the exam, no sharks would ever menace the cotton fish and My Little Flying Hippocampus; and since several of the group added a few rhythms of their own, the circle also exuded a half mile wide loanshark exclusion zone too.

The SAS may not have been marauders but they were inventive and clever and very quick to pick up on each other's ideas.

Lucius left tired but satisfied – there were a lot of SAS chanters – to be told by the face designated Harry that he looked immaculate and sexy but his farts were glowing.

This was almost inevitable for any visitor to the school, so after a moment's surprise at the face popping out of the wall, Lucius thanked it courteously and dealt with his farts.

He had a moment's surprise to discover that his flying Granians had also been rectally enchanted and the anal bagpipe curse serenaded him from their flying rears with 'Hail to the Chief'.

Nothing out of the ordinary from a trip to Hogwarts then.

It was better than Lilith's offering after the wedding when Lucius had to stop and uncurse his Rolls Royce from singing 'I am too sexy for my car' from the exhaust pipe.

Dudley had almost wet himself laughing and declared that he loved magic.

oOoOo

There was a good week until the NEWT exams started after the early Chanting exam; and kicked off with Potions.

The prepared potions were presented to the examiners duly labelled and certificated; and the practical was therefore merely to be a few of the more complex techniques under invigilation to prove a level of competency in more than just one prepared potion. Like Charms and Transfiguration it was carried out one student at a time. It was generally voted almost a harder test than the old style practical; but Lilith pointed out that you could not really call yourself a potioneer for just following recipes and using previously prepared ingredients if you had no idea how to prepare the ingredients and pointed out that the syllabus HAD included such as collecting and storing ashwinder eggs as one of the tests they were asked to do – Lilith performed with aplomb as did Gorbrin and Ming; and Albert only set the examiner alight a little bit with a dropped egg.

They also had to analyse a blended poison and collect ingredients for it; and recognise ingredients that were unmarked. Extra points were given if the analysis could be made without resorting to Scarpin's Revelaspell. Lilith glanced, sniffed, and answered promptly without any ado; as did Gorbrin and Ming. Albert had very little trouble with this too; and Stacey had to fall back on the Revellaspell on one of the items. Those who had taken OWL had shown they knew basic brewing techniques, advanced techniques really were shown in the success of the potion they chose to present.

The written exam followed hard on the heels of the practical and was fairly standard. There were the Malfoy lines of various potions which had to be identified; and Lilith wrote absently of one of them that the Elixir to Induce Euphoria did NOT include peppermint to reduce unwelcome side effects and was therefore an ineffectual brew. Gorbrin merely mentioned that the inclusion of peppermint would have improved it, being more diplomatic than Lilith. There was an interesting essay question on a comparison of Golapott's first and third laws with the question 'explain why Golapott's first law is not merely assumed within the third'; which it has to be said Stacey answered 'because then OWL students can't get tortured by learning more laws because the Third Law isn't needed until NEWT level.'

Lilith went into technical detail of how one could hardly compare a simple poison to a blended one, and that indeed the Third Law was an extension of the first law with that added twist that the antidote must be MORE than the sum of the antidotes rather than merely equal to or greater as in the First Law. She added arithmantic notes.

Meliandra was glad to get it over and done with; and confident of getting her required 'E' grade that she would need to be an Auror. She was taking just the five required; and hoped to get an 'O' in DADA and Arithmancy in which subjects she shone; and must work hard to get the necessary 'E' in Charms, Potions and Enchanting. It was not a standard choice; but only DADA was stipulated; Charms, Potions and Transfiguration being recommended. With Arithmancy and Enchanting, Meliandra might argue that she intended to specialise in curses and cursed items. She had found chanting too challenging to take even to OWL having no sense of rhythm; but there was always the brute force method of curse breaking by formula and incantation.

oOoOo

Arithmancy followed Potions, which Lilith and Gorbrin also shared; and of course Meliandra. There were ten taking this, plus Lilith; a large class. Five were Ravenclaw – which was not surprising; four of the rest, including Lilith, were Slytherin; and two were Hufflepuffs, Albert and Mardo Monk. Mardo had shown himself a skilled arithmancer, and having also taken chanting seriously he had been invited as a supporter to the Yule Chant though he had not chanted in more than an encouraging role, being half goblin and therefore like Gorbrin and Jazka excluded. His adoptive brother George had come too as a supporter; but did not chant. George had a job lined up in an apothecary's shop assuming he got fair grades in his Potions and Herbology; Mardo had ambitions as a curse breaker if he failed to get the required grades for an Auror, and was taking six NEWTs overall. George was very proud of his clever adopted brother; and hoped with sincere brotherly love that being so academic might make up in some respects for being orphaned so cruelly when Mardo's mother was murdered. Mardo might lack the sheer brilliance of Gorbrin or Ming or Lilith; but he was a solid, hard working boy, like Albert.

And Madam Sprout was tickled pink that not one but TWO of her house were taking five or more NEWTs.

The exam had the usual nasty pieces of calculus to solve apportation; the calculation of where two nodes were for nodal shift given four ley lines; and the calculation of the best time to tackle a curse with temporal properties. And Lilith giggled that the examiner who set THAT question had knowledge of muggle films since it asked that if Princess Fiona was cursed to turn into a troll during the hours of darkness, when should one attempt to break the curse for best results. Trolls were the closest to ogres of course that could be found presumably!

The big final question was the old engulfing charm one; which Lilith was perfectly well acquainted with.

"That was a doddle" she said afterwards.

"Sometimes, Halfpint" said Hugin Corbin, borrowing Sextus' nickname for her, "You can be a trifle irritating when you come up fresh as a daisy from labours the rest of us found Herculean and worthy of sweat, blood and tears."

"Oh you'll be fine" said Lilith airily.

"I rather enjoyed it myself" said Gorbrin mildly "Especially the Shrek reference."

"The what?" said Hugin, looking worried.

"Don't worry; a passing muggle literary reference" said Meliandra "Knowing it doesn't affect the answer in the least, just made some of us laugh. Out loud in Lilith's case."

"Oh THAT's what you were giggling about; not just a total leave taking of your senses" said Hugin, tickling her.

Lilith giggled more.

"Not more than usual" she said. "Which shows less as I'm a Slyther, not a Raver, whose senses are decidedly odd."

"Brat" said Hugin lazily.

oOoOo

Some of the people taking Arithmancy were also taking Ancient Runes. This was Lilith, Gorbrin, Ming, Hugin and Mardo; joined by Hugin's brother Munin and Hadrian Malfoy.

There were three passages to translate; one in Ogham, one in Hittite and one in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Each one dealt with the transcription of the trial of a thief and the sentence given; and the remainder of the exam was to comment on how the national characteristics of each culture might be shown in the choice of language and to a lesser extent in the punishment given. The Celtic nature dealt in balance and reparation and putting right damage caused by a criminal; the Hittite courts leaned heavily to punishment for discouragement of others; and the Egyptian view was more the horror of the sacrilege of stealing from a tomb and the fact that the greater punishment would occur in the afterlife. Lilith rather enjoyed it. Gorbrin and Meliandra both looked at the affairs described with the eyes of fans of whodunnits and Gorbrin meditated that the Hittite desire for a rapid arrest and retribution did not – unless a large portion of the transcript was missing – adequately prove that they had the right person, suggesting that possibly they were more interested in displaying the majesty of the law than of a possible miscarriage of justice.

"Well I'm done now for a while" said Lilith cheerily as they emerged "I'm only taking four NEWTs and three OWLs."

It was perhaps unfortunate that Xanthia Fawcett was in a position to overhear this as she was to be taking four NEWTs in total; and she proceeded to have hysterics again and then complained to Madam Pomfrey that the Snape brat deliberately taunted her and made her try to fail in her studies. Madam Pomfrey, who had very little time for hysterics, said 'nonsense' firmly.

And the next thing that happened was the arrival of Alastor Moody in company with Griselda Marchbanks because Xanthia had slipped out to send an impassioned message by owl complaining that she was being sabotaged.

Even the other Ravenclaws who had heard the comment – those taking Runes and a few others who had been mooching around like Xanthia – rose as a body to protest that Snape had done no such thing as deliberately sabotage a daft moo who had a persecution complex. And who was not even taking exams this year anyway.

Lilith, standing accused of deliberately sabotaging someone had burst into tears; she was only a little girl of eleven after all and was much hurt that anyone should believe anything so nasty of her, especially nice people like Uncle Alastor and Madam Marchbanks.

Once Ming Chang, as head of Ravenclaw, had asked to give a deposition on behalf of the prefects of the complainant's house that the girl in question considered any reverse to be a plot against her, even when her own dippiness had got her into trouble, the affair was quickly sorted out; and Madam Marchbanks suggested coldly to Xanthia that a letter of apology to a little girl whose comment had been perfectly reasonable as testified by all around her – some of whom had called her a brat and tickled her for it – since as the child also had exams left Miss Fawcett's malicious and unfounded accusation might also be taken as an attempt to undermine the little girl's exams. Which as she was a minor and Miss Fawcett was an adult was a more serious matter.

Xanthia started to accuse Madam Marchbanks of being part of the conspiracy against her; looked into the elderly witch's eyes; and thought better of it.

She wrote a grudging and insincere apology and started plotting ways she might truly disrupt Lilith.

As the three OWLs Lilith was taking involved no additional work outside of an actual exam there was no immediate way to do so; and Lilith, who saw the look that accompanied the letter of apology, was glad her Veritaserum was long gone from the school with the examiner of potions.

She resolved to put anti-tamper-curses on anything she produced NEXT year as she would still be saddled with Xanthia.

oOoOo

The next exam was the new Art in Magic which was being taken only by Erica; and an eminent artist had been asked to examine her masterpiece.

The artist, one Androbius Pingit was much impressed by the subtlety of the moving starfield; which Cosmo pointed out proudly. Mr Pingit chatted to Cosmo, to check that he had been treated with proper respect during the painting of him, and left more than satisfied with the standard of work.

The written exam would be marked by a team from the examinations board, as the main examiner was Erica's own mother; Charlotte had provided a set of perfect answers and the marks apportioned to each point made in the answer. Including a comment that certain questions were a trifle subjective and if in doubt another skilled artist should be consulted.

Erica wrote happily of the development of magic in art; a brief historical section gave a context to some of the forms to be used. She had majored in her field of interest in Celtic knotwork and its significance; the exam at NEWT level was to have three specialist fields of study each with their own paper, chosen by the candidate. Celtic Pattern, the Eastern Tradition and the art of portraiture were the three fields. And, as Charlotte said, inadequate in a way to cover the vast range of the way art was used throughout the world.

Erica wrote happily on questions about large scale ritual pattern making such as the long unused Nazca lines and Aboriginal ground art; compared the Celtic maze with the Greek labyrinth and key patterns of both cultures; and explained in detail the grinding and preparation of pigments to paint moving pictures. She drew a pattern to protect a doorway from intruders – actually she drew three, subtly different ones, drawing on different traditions – and drew out the necessary pattern to include in the weaving of curtains to make them completely draught proof. She answered technical questions on perspective and added absently that by deliberately slightly falsifying the perspective of a known place the picture might act similarly to a scrying mirror; it having been something she had discovered by accident.

Finally she had a brief practical in which she mixed a pigment to go with others previously prepared to paint a rapid sketch of a moving still life; and demonstrated her own peculiar skill of medical transfiguration by sketching the examiner with watercolour pencils and erasing the ugly mole that disfigured his face. He declined her offer to put it back if he wanted and went away very pleased and very impressed with this new field of magic.

oOoOo

Gorbrin's next exam was Charms. Meliandra was one of those taking this with him; it was a large class, being one of the basic subjects needed for a large number of jobs.

There were two essay questions, one on Barrier Charms and one on Memory Charms. Both questions were really aimed at handling muggles and keeping them from finding out; this was at least the major use of memory charms, though Barrier charms had other uses too, such as age lines, exclusion of certain beasts or as protection. Gorbrin wrote of the body exclusion charm used by builders when building high buildings as a safety measure on scaffolding; and too the same charm was bound as an enchantment very often on high buildings where children might fall out, or in the case of St Mungo's, those who were mentally disturbed. There were also locking spells, the imperturbable spell and others to be considered; by comparison it was harder to write much in the second essay question on memory charms which basically covered only _obliviate_ and confundment. Disillusionment really came under barrier charms like invisibility; and Gorbrin hastily scrawled this on the bottom of his first essay before returning to try to find something interesting to say about memory charms. He mentioned the Pensieve in passing; it being powered by a powerful charm to drain and preserve memories. Gorbrin chose to write about the subtlety required to remove a memory seamlessly so that the muggle involved did not have a feeling he was missing something; and suggested that confundment was a more subtle route to take than obliviation since an alternative explanation was effectively inserted and even if it was flawed, muggles were mostly happy to accept even a specious explanation providing it had some logic that they could understand. 'Confundment is the paradigm of casusitry' he wrote happily.

The rest of the paper was short answers on a number of types of charm; and that presented no problem.

The practical involved the usual test of watching invisibly while muggle walkers picnicked and confunding or obliviating them after they had seen Godrica fly over, David co-operating with the examiner by swooping low so that the hikers could have no doubt that this was a griffon.

That one of the hikers was convinced this was a MOD genetically modified creature designed to attack Iraqis was harder to handle; a belief structure was harder to deal with than a suddenly challenged disbelief structure. It was fortunate, as Gorbrin said to the examiner, that he knew enough legilimensy to check out the weird beliefs of this muggle! The examiner was taken aback and absently credited Gorbrin with higher marks because of this.

The second part of the practical involved the moving of a tree from one site to another using digging charms with care and due attention to the wellbeing of the tree; moving it; and replanting it.

Gorbrin thought it had all gone well.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Defence against the Dark Arts came next; another large class. Erica joined Gorbrin and Meliandra for this; also Mardo, George, Stacey, her Jordan, Ming, Hadrian and the Corbin twins.

The written exam was first; it covered the unforgivable curses, cursed items, the recognition of someone under compulsion, and counter curses. There was the usual bonus question on horcruces and how to destroy them; and Gorbrin wrote that if there was no artefact like Gryffindor's sword or a basilisk tooth to hand it had been proven that the magic binding the soul fragment to the item could be unravelled by chanting. He absently brushed away a school of inquisitive fish to continue writing. It was a simple enough paper and Gorbrin asked the invigilator to check if the paper they had been given was not the OWL paper as it seemed a little easy.

It was not.

"We're just well overtrained I guess" shrugged Ming who had heard Gorbrin ask the question.

The Practical was the traditional duel; not entirely a duel since the candidates had to prove first that they could resist the Imperious Curse and the Cruciatus Curse. Not that one even really needed a wand for that, reflected Gorbrin who just negated the first and used a shield charm on the second. He smiled at the examiner and with a flip of the hand turned him to stone. The Marauder solution was such an elegant one; it negated any action an opponent might make and yet one did not have to worry about feeding or care of a prisoner – or subsequent escape – but could just store him until needed.

This year Connie Hardbroom had been careful to have large quantities of Mandragora on hand to revive examiners.

All the Blooded chose the same option, although Erica, who had a sense of aesthetics, turned her examiner into Portland stone, nicely polished, because it was prettier.

Erica enjoyed transfigurations after all.

Mardo and Jordan both disarmed, bound, tickled and langlocked their examiners as the most efficient way of immediate disposal of a threat; Stacey could not remember langlock in the heat of the moment so used the hiccough curse instead as it was hard to pronounce any incantation when hiccoughing wildly and it might, she explained, even upset the concentration of someone casting wordlessly and wandlessly. This was the motivation behind the boys using the tickling charm; which they had discussed beforehand.

George was content to disarm his examiner and bind him with a slug vomiting curse; DADA was a secondary sort of exam for him, one he was well enough versed in through the MSHG to take as a third NEWT. Hadrian, who considered himself no great shakes at transfiguration, was competent enough at medical transfiguration and knew animals well enough to turn the examiner into a plimpy; because it sort of went with the fish swimming around.

As the Plimpy started drowning out of real water, Hadrian had to rapidly restore him.

"WHY are there fish in the great hall?" groaned the poor man, gasping thankfully on air with real lungs.

"It kind of grew out of an entertainment and they went feral" said Hadrian. "Unlike My Little Flying Hippocampus who got caught up in a wand war. You don't really want to know sir; at least I wouldn't if I could avoid it."

Well, thought the examiner, at least I can now tell the others the answer to the question nobody has ever quite dared to ask yet.

oOoOo

Madam Griselda Marchbanks was not so shy about asking David how come the castle had acquired several interesting denizens that he had not got rid of.

"I'm muggle born, Madam Marchbanks; I love magic" said David "The fish went feral; it seemed almost unfair to remove their happy consciousness of self however limited it may be. They're limited to the great hall. And I rather like the Tidyup faces; sometimes a timely reminder is good for slovenly teenagers. Magical schools acquire – and should, in my opinion, acquire – magical effects and, er, interesting denizens. Like the feral Ford Anglia in the Forbidden Forest from Harry Potter's time. And the Acromantula patch. I removed less than helpful effects like the magical gates – four pairs of them – that were the jape of the year from one group. I did not remove the gate to New Zealand in the junior cloakroom; it's a nice secluded muggle-free beach perfect to reduce the usual gripes and quarrels of the winter terms. And it's strictly controlled now" he added.

"Goodness me! How inventive your young people are! Why is it from the junior cloakroom?"

"Because it was a bunch of third years who did the geomantic research to set it up" said David "As one of them is Lilith Snape…"

"Ah, enough said" said Griselda Marchbanks.

oOoOo

Gorbrin went next into Comparative Magic; only Jardak and Hugin Corbin were taking this with him; it was a slightly esoteric subject until you argued, as Gorbrin and Hugin did – along, incidentally with Darryl Zabini – that it blended rather well with ancient runes. And Geomancy; but Hugin, like Gorbrin, had to draw a line somewhere; and Hugin was taking seven NEWTs. He was no chanter, but was aiming his ancient runes and comparative magic at improving enchanting and metalwork.

The essay question was quite stiff; it asked for comparisons and contrasts of the different approaches to divination in different cultures.

This covered the centaur measures of burning herbs and using the stars for major events as well as the different approaches to astrology in different parts of the world, and the uses of different forms of aides to perceiving the future such as tarot cards. The bowl reading of the ancient Hellenic world survived in Greece and Cyprus today and in various Peloponnesian regions and was paralleled by crystal ball reading. The reading of patterns in flocks of small birds released pertained to Italy and tea leaf reading was almost exclusively English. Divination was not a subject that particularly interested Gorbrin and he had to work hard; fortunately his friend Albert's talent in the subject meant that he had understood more when they covered the subject in class with Professor Khan. He grinned at Assim's facetious suggestion that in India one counted the stripes on a Rakshasa and if you were uneaten when you had a total you were lucky today but tomorrow the tiger would be hungry.

There were plenty of paragraph length questions; it was a vast subject. Gorbrin wrote confidently about Finnish naming magic, and Voodoo, and the comparison between the western vampire and its flying counterpart in Japan; discussed the views of different cultures to such things as the undead, shapeshifters and potioneering, the latter of which had a negative image in the Peloponnese. He got sidetracked briefly onto a discussion on Circe, or as the Greeks wrote her name, with the hard K sound; it meant 'Ladyhawk' and as shapeshifting in general had a less poor image in the same region, it was possible that some of her transfigurations may have been down to ordinary transfiguration – especially if she had been an animagus – and the writings about her ascribed them all to potions to emphasise how disreputable she was supposed to be. He added that the change into pigs HAD been proven to be possible by potion and other potions might have been possible too, but that it was an interesting field of speculation.

He hurried on having written too much; and finished just within time.

oOoOo

The next exam was Divination, so only Albert and Robert Spikenard were involved; Madam Spikenard having made a stand that she would only accept NEWT students if they had a cat's chance in hell of performing any predictions at all. She had decided that it would NOT be available as a soft option any longer; though she would accept those with no talent at OWL who might conceivably use their knowledge constructively to write up the predictions of others. The only point, argued Madam Spikenard, of taking NEWT was to apply for a job using the practical skills of the subject; and giggling and table turning did not in her book constitute a practical use.

It meant that several Hufflepuff girls who had hoped to scrape an 'A' by making up enough rubbish in the exam were to be deprived a third NEWT; and David approved wholeheartedly.

The practical in the NEWT had become very free, to take account of the differing talents of the few talented who made it so far; and apart from a few true seers the use of the crystal ball could now be considered almost suspect. Robert used a crystal ball, but he was from a traditional family of diviners and as such might be expected not to be mucking anyone about; and he frowned and said,

"I don't see any…..wait, I'm getting it clearing…. Do you travel by muggle train, sir? Because if so, I'd avoid doing so when you return home…. There's a fire on the line…..something to do with eclectricnessy…. Could be nasty for a wizard."

Albert smiled and asked the examiner to produce a sketch plan of his own house; and then asked if there was anything he had mislaid.

"My garden spade" said the examiner, hurriedly adding the garden and shed to the plan.

Albert frowned in concentration as he lined up his divining rods.

"I'm being taken out of the garden" he said "I feel a pull about two gardens distant I think; is your next door neighbour but one likely to have borrowed it?"

"Little sod, more than likely" said the examiner. "THANK you; I'll confront him when I get home. Unfortunately my wife likes him."

"Is he a muggle, or a wizard?" asked Albert, curiously.

"A wizard" said the examiner.

"Then why don't you cast a ritual digging spell on your spade –it being yours you can focus on it from a distance using a divining rod – to dig up everything where it is? That should stop him borrowing things without asking again" Albert suggested. "Especially if you specify that it goes deep enough to spoil his garden totally and maybe hit the water table."

The examiner gave a chuckle of unholy glee.

"Mr McMillan, thank you!" he said. "I'll do just that!"

oOoOo

The written was fairly standard, interpreting dreams and stellar conjunctions with relation to a list of people whose birth dates and times were given; and calculating by time, date and place of birth if two young people were compatible marriage partners. Albert made arithmantic notes on that one too.

Madam Spikenard was glad she had insisted on only teaching the talented. She was also glad to have the full backing of David Fraser; Albus had backed her, but had murmured that it had been a shame that the less able had not had a softer option to give them an extra NEWT. Rosemary Spikenard had retorted that they might as well then take Arithmancy since in the opinion of Lilith Snape that was a soft option; and Albus had said no more on the subject. David however backed her wholeheartedly; he agreed that though Divination had become a soft option, a class not to take seriously, this was a mistake and belittled the attainments of those who DID have a skill in it. Rosemary had conceded that she would accept serious students of theory who could not raise a vision but who had a genuine interest; but that she would NOT have time wasters.

And as David said, why should she?

oOoOo

Several people were taking enchanting; many of those who also took metalwork seriously. Albert had not even taken it to OWL but had learned enough laws of tying in spells to manage his enchantment of metal; and Jorbal had shown him a few other goblin techniques and rituals as well, that he had shared only with Albert and Ming.

Meliandra and Erica grinned shakily at each other with a hopeful high five on the way in; and Ming and Hugin butted heads.

"Ravenclaws; but don't worry. Nothing to damage in there" said Jazka.

The exam had a long question on enchanting gates and hiding doors and opening wizarding space with a wizarding door, like Platform Nine-and-three-quarters. Erica grinned to herself and reflected that this would have been a gift to Lilith if only the little girl had actually even taken the OWL in the subject. She was planning to do that this year; it would be interesting what she made of it. There were other questions on wand woods and matching cores to wands, and wand, core and wizard; and Erica quoted Willow Prince Black in her new book 'Why the wand IS the wizard' in which Willow demonstrated that although a wand chooses the wizard with the nature best matched to itself, it may also exert an influence on the wizard to perform better in the spells best suited to the wand, which had some effect in moulding the wizard too, for making him prefer the spells he could most easily perform. Wizards whose wands were broken or lost rarely found an identical replacement actually served; because people change as they grow. Erica cited Draco Malfoy, who having broken his wand picked up the dead Voldemort's in the battle for Hogwarts; the wand being the brother wand of Harry Potter's wand, and Draco having become essentially Harry's brother. She enjoyed herself and wrote too much and had to skimp on the last couple of questions on broom wood choices and cushioning charms.

The practical was moderately standard, involving coring a wand, enchanting an item chosen from five – a candlestick, a pair of slippers, a book, a plate and a bottle – to perform an enchanted action when a particular condition pertained. This was Waffling logic and though Erica had not studied Arithmancy past OWL she had picked up enough of that to be quite precise in her enchantment, which was on the slippers, that if any boy put his smelly feet in them – the aside that all boys have smelly feet being inserted – they would promptly turn into bunnies and bite him.

It was a rather non standard solution but well within the rules. Most people made the candlestick cast a flame spell on a candle on command, or made a book find a particular passage on command or enchanted the bottle to refill forever or such traditional useful enchantments.

The final task was to make a muggle shopping trolley fly; which Erica considered quite easy.

oOoOo

Albert was the only entrant for Geomancy; its highly technical aspect tended to put a lot of people off. Really, only a competent arithmancer could hope to do well at NEWT level. And yet some of the associations that made some places more accessible from others were not immediately obvious to someone who operated on pure logic. Albert supposed he was lucky, having an arithmancer's mind yet with the intuition of being a diviner. To him the associations in Geomancy made perfect sense.

Albert cheerfully calculated the best route from one place to another given three choices; surprisingly the nodal shift option was not the quickest, as the nodes were rather awkwardly situated. He determined that by broom by ley line was the best means for a quick journey.

Next were destinations of the Knight Bus to be listed in the probable order of its travel; which had nothing to do with proximity and only a loose correlation to alphabetic order.

He wrote down,

"Auchtermuchty; Godalming; Hastings; Hull; Land's End; Southend; Southampton; Llanstephan; Ware."

The alphabetic listing was interrupted by the 'end' in the word Southend wanting to follow Land's End; and the South of Southampton followed that before the alphabet was resumed with Llanstephan.

He then wrote an essay on the reasons behind the choice of the route taken by the Hogwarts express; and answered some short questions.

The practical required him to fetch a pale blue scarf from Cambridge, a bright green hat from Lincoln, a macrame bag from Nottingham and a Fair-isle sweater from Carlisle.

He thought the associations were stretching things a bit; but then, the examiners had to come up with something new each year so he supposed they must run out of creative thoughts sometime.

oOoOo

Herbology was being taken exclusively by Hufflepuffs, most of whom had thought it an easy subject because Madam Sprout accepted anyone with a pass. That they were to deal with potentially deadly plants came as a definite shock to a lot of students who had NOT asked previous NEWT students what the exam entailed.

George Monk phlegmatically dealt with Snargaluff and Porphyria Martin and Deborah Summerby came out looking more shaken than stirred as Ming unkindly said.

oOoOo

Jardak, Mardo and Stacey were among those taking history; Jardak was hoping to ally this with his comparative magic to write a history of world magic between working in the Foreign Office where, as he said, they'd be wanting goblins to liaise with foreign goblins. Stacey was considering working in the Quaestorium; and that was also another secondary option for Mardo. The exam included four essays to be chosen out of eight, meaning that Jardak leaned heavily towards those of the earliest periods, using his memory to make quotes he had heard Gorbrin use from Ancient Runes; and the other two picked questions from modern history, Mardo going for anything that could relate to foreign affairs, like a question on Gellert Grindelwald. He too liked the idea of liaising with foreign goblins; hopefully in the role of auror.

oOoOo

Next came metalworking; Albert, Erica, Jazka, Ming and Hugin were taking this. Erica knew that this was not her best subject, nor could she hope to shine next to the likes of Ming and Albert; but she was taking it for a specific purpose, in the same way she had taken enchanting; to ally with her art and expand her boundaries as both a teacher and a setter of exam papers. She knew her masterpiece was pretty but not very profound; she had added to the pieces of jewellery the coefficient of metallic expansion to morph to be more or less discreet, and to assume more decorative aspects at will. It was this really that made it a piece of metalwork not an enchanted piece of pretty work made of goblin silver; though of course she had alloyed her goblin silver herself.

The practical was in a single piece; the OWL had demonstrated how well the students had mastered basic skills. Jorbal was actually considering, since the OWL students had produced pieces so close to NEWT level many of them, the experimental years, that the OWL should perhaps have a longer supervised practical and the production of two or three specified and simpler items; so that the students would then have room for further flights of imagination at NEWT level. He had submitted this proposal to the exam board.

Meantime the students sat down to the long written exam; three and a half hours of it.

They answered questions on the properties of Goblin Steel and Goblin Silver, and the uses of blends of the two; the properties of other things that might be included in the blend or bonded irrevocably to the metal, such as a magically melted diamond bonded to a blade to make it ever sharp and ever hard. This question also called for a comparison between this method and an eversharp charm.

One question called for the drawing of the cogs of a partial clockwork mechanism; and there were technical questions on the coefficient of magical expansion. Albert and Ming wrote about the increase in the coefficient by using voluntary blood magic in the quenching process.

It was an interesting paper; tough, but interesting. And nobody felt they had done badly.

oOoOo

Gorbrin's last exam was Transfigurations.

The written contained no big surprises and several people were suppressing the humming of 'there's a conjurer in my attic' as they listed the exceptions to Gamp's law of elemental conjuration. There was a question on human transfiguration, and on the reasons that summoning matter was more difficult than summoning raw energy. Gorbrin knew he had written too much on this question but he enjoyed it anyway; and had added unnecessary arithmantic notes on how much the temperature would drop in an average classroom according to the size of item summoned. Assimilative Correlation covered another section of questions and Gorbrin smothered a chuckle as he recalled the Jerboa to sheep by way of being a woolly jumper. Lilith was the end sometimes! Her assertion that she did Assimilative Correlation by jiggery pokery was not actually far off; but Lilith was talented enough to get away with it!

The practical held no fears for Gorbrin. He knew he was good. He bowed to the examiner and summoned a flight of brightly coloured birds from his wand by way of greeting; and then he had a violin to turn into a cat.

A Malfoy almost had to do something stylish; and as a devotee of ancient runes, Gorbrin turned his violin, which was plastic with a mock burr walnut patina, into an Egyptian Mau queen, whom he promptly called Ankhsenamun.

It was perhaps unfortunate for the whole sense of style that as soon as she had come into being, Ankhsenamun leaped four feet straight up in the air to catch and devour one of the singing birds which disappeared with horrid crunching noises.

"It doesn't count I'm afraid" said Gorbrin, doing her ears "It'll only dissipate in an hour or so; I didn't permanence the birds"

Ankhsenamun washed her paw and whiskers delicately and a rusty 'waw' informed him that he would have to feed her properly then.

"Is there anything else I need to do, ma'am?" asked Gorbrin.

"You appear to have performed more than adequately, Mr Malfoy-Tobak" said Madam Marchbanks. "Your cat should be taken to be fed; the dissipating of that bird might cause her some small problems when it happens."

"Yes ma'am" said Gorbrin "The loss of energy on a cellular level once digestion has begun is more profound than just an empty tummy. I'm sorry she has bad manners towards your birds."

"It's the nature of cats; and it was a spectacular leap. Very well; I'm finished with you unless you have an animagus form?"

"No ma'am; I never got around to it!" said Gorbrin.

oOoOo

That was then everything; and now Gorbrin might enjoy his last few weeks as head boy without any pressures. Well apart from worrying about what foolishness the Fawcett girl might get up to.

Being threatened with action by Madam Marchbanks did at least seemed to have knocked her down a peg or two; and with luck might have made her realise that there were consequences to actions and that other people had their rights too.

Somehow Gorbrin doubted that it would improve Xanthia long term however; but in a few short weeks it would cease to be his problem unless she DID turn to dark wizardry and he ended up hunting her down when he was an auror.

And then the OWLs were starting; and Gorbrin wished his little sister Zajala good luck. Also Storm and Zephyra as they were sometime guests at Malfoy Manor; and his cousins Damian and Ludmila who were too busy snogging between exams to care about the terrors of their OWLs.

Zajala reported laconically that she had done all right at most of her exams, though she was less happy with herbology. She was only taking it to help with potioneering anyway; as Zajala took potions as seriously as her brother did. She did not think she would do better than a pass in it.

Storm and Zephyra, who were surprised to find themselves taking as many as nine OWLs just hoped to pass them all; and to get high enough marks to go forward with their favourite subjects.

Kevin was pleased to be a pioneer in the first Art OWL; he knew he never had much of a chance to do well, because although he had a good eye for colour he was no real artist; he had asked Erica for some lessons in free time because of having sold several of the 'artworks' his snails made.

He had prepared a board of snail trail and fixed it, and covered it with black wax to make a scraperboard pattern for his main piece, an anti-thief curse that detected an intruder and cast the slug-vomiting curse on him.

There was also a practical in which Kevin prepared paints well enough; he was not the greatest potioneer in the world but he was methodical, which came in well for preparing paints too. He also demonstrated an artistic endeavour of his choice, using a muggle felt tip pen to inscribe a shield charm on his own arm because as he said your actual tattoo was a little drastic.

The written paper had a choice of three essay questions out of five; they were 'Discuss the universally used symbol of the sun and the magical implications of the swastika'; 'compare the use of formalised Egyptian tomb paintings, Roman encaustic paintings and modern era oil paintings in accessing the souls of the dead'; 'discuss the protective charms contained within the kolams or rangoli of the Indian sub continent'; 'discuss how the increased understanding of perspective in the Renaissance led to a greater mobility for the subjects depicted'; and 'the medium of the pattern magic has an effect upon the designed use of the pattern; discuss'.

Kevin chose the three pattern based questions; he was not at home with ancient art forms and he had only the most hazy idea when the Renaissance was too. Besides, it was patterns he was interested in.

Kevin thought he had done enough to pass at least; his theory, thanks to Erica, was more sound than his practise; and it gave him, if nothing else, an opportunity to teach a rare subject when he left school since he had not really decided what ambitions he might have. And an unusual skill to fall back on was always good!

oOoOo

And then the summer reached its Zenith, and the end of term loomed; the end of year. And Gorbrin would be leaving Hogwarts.

It was a sobering thought; in some ways it seemed only a short time ago that he had faced out Lucius when he came offering a scholarship, because of being afraid it was some kind of trick. And in other ways it was another lifetime that was almost hazy; because sometimes he felt as though he had always been a Malfoy.

"I'm almost leaving school, dad" he whispered to the miniature of his real father that Charlotte had painted.

"Whatever you do, you'll work hard at it and do it conscientiously" said Tobak. "I'm proud of you, son; taking NEWTs at Hogwarts; and so many of them!"

"I haven't heard if I passed them or not yet" said Gorbrin.

"Well somehow I doubt you failed any" said Tobak "I just want to know how many are 'O'. And if none of them are – which I doubt – I'm still proud of you for getting there. Lucius is a fine man."

"He is dad; and he's my other dad" said Gorbrin.

And he would be an auror and do well – for both his dads, and for his mum and the other mums and for all goblins.

The end of term feast came; and David waited for the shoal of fish to dissipate from in front of him before he made his speech.

"Well, this is the end of my first year as headmaster; I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have" said David. There were several shouts of assent. "I must say the entertainment some of you have provided with japes has been interesting; and the bog of very long lasting stench appears to be going strong, though it's a little dry so it may have disappeared by next term. Tom, Dick and Harry are keeping all of us on our toes; apart from those people who deliberately make themselves mussed to be contrary; and we've very much enjoyed having New Zealand available; which also gave us a new pupil. I can't say I found the random gates quite so amusing, but then, not everything works. And of course the fish!" he added as the shoal swung lazily in front of him again. "An unusual adjunct to the hall. Well the various layers of Marauders – the junior layers I should say – have certainly done their best to test me this year; I don't believe I have lost my cool. And may I say what pleasure it now gives me to move to the presentation of the shields. On the whole there have been very few house points lost over the year – partly because quick witted prefects leaped on any potential problems before the staff could get involved – so we have a fairly even score; but winners of the House Shield are Ravenclaw by the efforts of Sampta Patil and the two quidditch teams who rose to a challenge that could have led to serious loss of house points but instead was a triumph of moral fibre and fair play. Ming, if you would like to collect the shield for your house, and under the circumstances, Sampta too?"

Ming came with Sampta to collect the shield grinning; Ravenclaw House had so often fired a stinging hex into its own foot in recent years and lost the House Shield in often quite ignominious terms. Being head of the house in a year that it had won the shield was worth putting on a CV as well as it being tremendous kudos for the whole house. Ming loved his house; but he also was no fool.

"Thank you sir" he said "We have a really decent bunch now in Ravenclaw House; only a few briars spoil our flourishing growth and cause a blot upon our otherwise pristine escutcheon."

"I know I suggested that you make use of the richness of the English language Ming, but I never expected you to get THAT flowery!" laughed David. "Now the Quidditch Shield; and before I present it may I say how impressed I am that Ravenclaw managed to come second with the hastily put together new first team; and may I also say how much more of a team that was than with one or two rather self opinionated players who did not fully understand teamwork. I hope that they will have learned something from the whole incident and will be ready to embrace the spirit of the beautiful game next year; and if Sampta is delighted with her current first team – as well she might be – that they will be content to be ornaments of the second team as a way to regain their credibility" he said. Sampta was looking rather thoughtful over that. It WAS a way round Ferdinand's rather sketchy apology. David went on, "The Quidditch Shield goes to Slytherin House, whose two teams have shown us what team work really is; and may I be boring about ancient history and say how delighted I am, since in MY days at school, team work was NOT synonymous with Slytherin House; Krait Malfoy, now Krait Malfoy Snape, was excluded from the team despite being almost as good as her cousin Draco, because the captain disliked her. I believe she had turned him into a pig, though, so he had some excuse" he added, and waited for the laughter to die down. "Meliandra, if you'd care to collect the trophy…."

"Thank you sir; I've heard plenty about the old days from my parents and I'm jolly glad it's not like that any more" said Meliandra.

"The Marauders Shield this year" said David "Was much in the balance. I considered the school prefects as a whole for coping – mostly – with the extra duties some of the changes I have instituted have made; but I have to say I think that the group who has given the most to the school this year has been the impromptu combination of the Belle Marauders, the Pepperingye Marauders, the Stripy Marauders and the Weird Marauders for their concert of revision notes. If I hear that any of you failed to get at least an 'E' in Transfigurations NEWT I shall be very surprised; and there's no excuse to forget old Golapott in Potions either! A special mention to Chrys Lockhart here for streamlining all the lyrics, and apparently following in the footsteps of his cousin Mad whose collaborations with Chad Fenwick kept many an audience rocking with laughter. Chrys, will you therefore accept the shield on behalf of everyone?"

"Sir, I'm awfully grateful" said Chrys "And it's really nice on a personal level to have my satires recognised not my curls! I think I speak for all the Marauders that we were very glad to continue in the tradition of the New Marauders who wrote rhyming revision notes – which we cribbed from for some starting ideas – and I believe I have it correctly that they were some of the first to win the Marauders' Shield for so doing."

"They were in fact the very first" said David "The nicknames of the original Marauders who gave, some of them, life or sanity to fight Voldemort were on there in an honorary capacity. I remember the first presentation of the shield very well; it was introduced by Albus Dumbledore in the first year of my tenure as Head Boy. Eight years on and it has come back to Marauders for a similar reason. And nowadays too there are Marauders in every house; which fact I should like to point out and praise you for, as the shield WAS introduced with a view to promoting cross house co-operation. Now all there is to do is to enjoy the feast; enjoy the holidays; and if I were you I'd get your holiday tasks done as soon as you can rather than leave them to the last minute. I always found the train journey home an excellent time to start them a least. Let the feast begin!"

"Three cheers for the new Headmaster of Hogwarts!" shouted Gorbrin "Hip hip…"

The Hoorays resounded to the rafters.

And David Fraser was no longer the NEW headmaster of Hogwarts; just the Headmaster.

And it was the end of another year.

7


End file.
